The Perfect Plan
by MiZZ SaHurr
Summary: There was no denying how Lily Luna Potter hated Sebastian Malfoy. It was commonly known that Sebastian Malfoy considered Lily Potter the bane of his existance. Get ready as Hogwarts has on its hands yet another volatile love story. Full summary inside.
1. A New Year with Old Beginnings

A/N: I am not J.K. Rowling and therefore, I do not own any characters. This is my disclaimer for the rest of the story. Also this was inspired by a story I read on hpff, but the story is no longer up. So the idea of Harry's daughter and Draco's second son in a love story goes to phannah17 who is hannah17 on hpff . She is extremely talented and I suggest you look at her writing which can be found here and on hpff . The rest of the plot is mine.

Full Summary: Lily Luna Potter is Harry's youngest daughter. Sebastian Malfoy is Draco's second son, and Scorpius's little brother. She hates him with an unmatched passion, and he considers her the most disgusting, vile thing on the planet. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Lily and Sebastian form the perfect plan. The problem? It requires them to date each other. Get ready for another roller coaster ride, as Hogwarts faces its most precarious couple yet.

Lily waved one final goodbye to her various relatives from the door of the Hogwarts Express, and then she made her way to the Heads' Compartment. This year she went being a simple prefect to Head Girl. Truth be told, it was slightly expected, Lily was top in her year, excellent in all she did, and when the letter officially came home, she was delighted! She figured if she was Head Girl, then Richard would be Head Boy. It would be the perfect opportunity for her to regard him as more than just a good friend. Over the years, she had grown fond of him, and the two had become great friends. Now she wanted to take it a step further. He had all the qualities she wanted in a boy. But as she walked into the Heads' Compartment she saw,

"Malfoy!!! What the bloody hell are you doing here? This is a _Heads'_ Compartment. And you are-"

"Head Boy, Potter. Perhaps you need to get your eyes checked, eh? See the badge?"

Lily stood agape for quite a long time. Sebastian Malfoy was Head Boy? _Sebastian Malfoy? _The very bane of her existence? How did that happen? Richard was supposed to be Head Boy, after all he was a prefect. Lily knew that Head Boys weren't necessarily always prefects before becoming Head Boy. Her own grandfather had been proof of that. But surely Richard was more qualified than _Malfoy._

It didn't matter that Rose and Scorpius were now engaged. Scorpius was always wonderful, like an additional older brother from the very beginning as he was Albus's best friend. But his younger brother, who just happened to be in her year really just…there were no words to describe how she loathed him.

"Cat got your tongue, Potter? Or are you just mesmerized by my amazingly good looks? Figures, every other in the school worships me, so you're not left out. But too bad I can't say the same for you."

Sebastian knew Potter must have really been shocked because she didn't even retaliate to the insults. He would have been hexed into oblivion by now, but she showed no sign of doing anything. He wasn't really shocked that she was the Head Girl. He gave her a once over. Despite the brash comments he always made on her looks, there no was no denying how attractive she was. Her long red hair, her big brown eyes, her porcelain-like skin, her strong cheekbones, her toned body, all in all made her an attractive girl. A very attractive girl. Her beauty never ceased to make his stomach clench. But they had never gotten along, ever, and neither had anything other than immense dislike for the other in their hearts.

"Well, Malfoy, we have a prefects' meeting to start, and they should be here anytime soon." Potter said, in the stern voice full of disgust that seemed to be reserved only for him.

Then as if on cue, the prefects filed in, and Lily noticed Malfoy eyeing Juniper Quasi, the Ravenclaw seventh year prefect. While her name wouldn't suggest so, Juniper was pretty in her own way it seemed. Lily sometimes thought she was related to Luna, because she was slightly…strange. Lily inwardly shook her head as she saw Malfoy trying to flirt shamelessly with her. Typical Malfoy, she thought. But the way she answered him proved one of two things: either she was really thick, or really sharp, because the things she would say confused the hell out of Malfoy, and Lily was really amused. His brows furrowed in confusion, the blue hint in his gray eyes darkening. She decided she had wasted enough time on Malfoy and his stupid acts and focused on the meeting.

"Welcome to another year. I'm Lily Potter, and I'm Head Girl. Our Head Bo-"

"I can introduce myself, thank you Potter. And it's not like everyone doesn't know me anyway. Now you can continue your incessant rambling that no one cares about."

Lily rolled her eyes. How he had ever managed to get into Gryffindor was beyond her. Scorpius, she could understand, and from what she recalled, they had another little sister who was starting this year. Judging by the way Scorpius talked about her, she would probably be in Gryffindor too. But Sebastian? That was a complete mystery to Lily. She continued the meeting, going over rules and procedures. At the end she said,

"Anything you would like to add, Malfoy?"

"No, I think you've tortured people enough."

She sighed. It was going to be a very long year.

After the meeting, all the prefects left. Even Juniper. While most thought she was pretty, they also thought her peculiar. And Malfoy agreed, but there was something about her that intrigued him. But she hardly dated in all the time he had known her. She seemed different and that was exactly what he wanted. He was tired of conventional girls. He had dated a lot but something was wrong with everyone, he had never found the girl that he dreamt of. Yes, Sebastian Malfor, _the _Sebastian Malfoy, had a dream girl. In his dreams, she always wore white, and her face was in the shadows. He didn't even really know what she looked like, but he knew she was beautiful. Suddenly, he remembered Syria. He had told her he would be back in her cabin as soon as the meeting was over. He left the Heads' compartment, and went into his little sister's compartment. It was her first year, and he really wanted to take care of her. People still taunted kids whose parents had been on the Dark Side. Personally, Sebastian cared a great deal for his father. He was ashamed of his heritage at first, but when his mother walked out on their family, his father single-handedly raised Scorpius, Sebastian and Syria, all while trying to reestablish the Malfoy family name. He smiled as he stood at the door, watching his little sister talk animatedly. She seemed to have already made some friends. But there was this boy who was adoringly looking at her. Sebastian didn't want to embarrass Syria, but if the little twit of a boy didn't stop making a pass at his sister, he would have to teach the boy a lesson. She was much too young to have a boyfriend. She finally looked his way and yelled,

"Seb!!!" And jumped into her older brother's arms. She grinned from ear to ear. He hugged her back until she began kicking her legs, a sign that she wanted to be on her own feet again, and reluctantly let her go. "I'm having soooo much fun, Sebby!! I already love it."

"Well, it only gets better, and you won't have to wait for long, we're at Hogsmeade. Now get into the boats, and I will see after the Sorting, all right, angel?"

"All right, Seb. " Syria nodded. "I'll see you then, yeah?"

Sebastian smiled and turned to walk out. "Seb?" She called

"Yeah, Syr?"

"Please don't forget me. You won't right?"

"No, I won't sweetheart, I promise." On that note, Sebastian left and made his way to his best mate, Hugo Weasley.

"Malfoy, where ya been mate?"

"Syria, and then Head duties with your insufferable cousin."

"Seb, I think you really shouldn't-"

"Look, mate. I know she is your cousin, basically sister, but mate she's-"

"In the carriage."

"What? I just had to share a compartment with her, and now a carriage?" This was unbelievable, first a compartment, now a carriage, what was next? A ruddy Heads' Dorm?

It was as if the bane of his existence read his mind because she stepped out and said,

"Well, this is nothing, because remember, we have to share a dormitory now, which includes one common room, and one bathroom that we share? I'm not exactly pleased with the situation either, but can you please act your age for once, instead of the immature prat that you normally are?"

She was always like this when she was angry, her hair seemed like fire, her eyes vicious, her whole body exuding a certain vibe that no one else had. Lily Potter was one of a kind, even if she was the most disgusting thing in the universe, Sebastian thought. He got into the carriage, but making sure Hugo went in first.

There was no doubt in his mind, this really was going to be a long year.


	2. More Misunderstandings

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever and NJsparty for the sweet reviews and story alerts!! Oh and I know it's cliché, but McGonagall is Head Mistress. Just thought I would let you know, so you wouldn't be confused later.

She took the hat off as quickly as she had put it on; her verdict had been Gryffindor, just like her older brothers, and Syria Malfoy made her way to the Gryffindor table. She sat next to John, the boy she met on the train. After dinner, everyone was released to go their dormitories, and the fifth year prefect led the first years to the dormitories. There was only one other girl who was sorted into Gryffindor, but she didn't seem to like Syria much, especially since Syria introduced herself as a Malfoy. But she had expected that, despite the fact that her brothers and father didn't warn her about it beforehand. Both Scorpius and Sebastian were given a talk before coming to Hogwarts. But she didn't, she always a bit spoiled by her father and her brothers. Not spoiled rotten, but she was a Daddy's girl, and her brothers' worlds.

She sat in her room, and took out two pieces of parchement. One for Daddy, and one for Scorp, she thought. Her snob of a roommate had already gone to sleep, and she didn't want to be rude, so she went to the Common Room. As she finished the letters, she went to the Owlery, because her owl, Piko, was there. Coming out, she ran into something or someone, rather.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looki-oh, it's just you, Sebby."

"Yeah, I went to the Common Room, but you weren't there. Then I left, and I saw you in the distance and I figured you were coming here to post your letters for Dad and Scorpius, right?"

"Mmmmhhhmmm." Syria nodded. She took her hand in her brother's larger one, and began to walk with him in a comfortable silence. Suddenly, she felt very tired, and in the most innocent voice asked,

"Sebby, can I ask you for something?"

He already knew what she wanted, she loved the piggy-back rides he gave her. Sebastian knelt down, his back facing her, and she climbed on.

"How did you know I wanted a piggy-back ride?" Syria asked, stifling a yawn in the process.

"I'm your older brother, princess. It's my job to know these things. But mine are better than Scorp's, right?"

She giggled, and laid her head on his shoulder, fastening her arms around his neck, with both of her legs through either of Sebastian's arms. . Sebastian kept on talking, showing her various things on their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He really didn't want her to sleep alone for the first few nights. Kids could really be cruel, he thought, as Syria talked about her only roommate.

"Well, if anyone, no matter who they are, says anything, does anything, or makes you feel bad in any which way, you let me know, okay? Your older brother is here for you."

He would be there for Syria, just how Scorp had been there for him.

"Syria, you listening to me?"

He heard her steady breathing and realized she was asleep. He decided to take a shortcut to the Common Room. He said the password, and then muttered the spell Scorpius had taught him in third year, enabling him to get into the Girls' Dormitories. He went to where the first years' dorms were, and opened the door. Gently placing his sister on the bed, he tried to leave, but realized the sleeve of his robe was stuck. Syria was tightly clutching it, and sleepily asked,

"Can you stay with me, Seb?"

He decided to lie down with her for a while. He took off his robe and shoes, and unbuttoned his shirt. He hadn't even realized how tired he had been, until he drifted off to sleep himself.

* * *

Where the in the world was he? He was supposed to meet her in their dorm hours ago. But then again, he didn't know the password since he had skipped the meeting, right after the Sorting. She had been considerably nice about it, when he disappeared after the Sorting, skipping the brief yet important meeting they had with Professor McGonagall. Especially since he hadn't told her. Even then, she covered his arse, saying that he went to check on some first years. It was time for their patrol, and being the duty-driven girl she was, Lily decided to go on patrol alone. She would deal with Malfoy when she came back.

After her patrol, Lily decided to stop by the Gryffindor Common Room, to wish Hugo good night. After all, it was only those two left at Hogwarts when it came to Weasley grandchildren. She walked into the Common Room, and she saw Malfoy descending down the girls' dormitories' stairs. His blonde hair disheveled, his eyes slightly red, and his shirt and robes in his hand. Judging from his appearance, it was obvious he had just woken up, Lily thought. He was probably shagging someone on the first day, Lily scoffed inwardly. She also tried to ignore the blush that graced her cheeks as she gave him a once over. It wasn't her bloody fault he was so damn good-looking. Her mother and Aunt Hermione had once described Draco as someone with dangerously good looks. There was no doubt his sons were the same. The platinum blonde hair, the gray eyes, the defined stomach, broad chest, strong shoulders, and overall aura was something few women could resist. But she had no problems as she felt the anger that usually surfaced whenever he was around her consume her.

"Where the bloody hell have you been, Malfoy? I waited two whole hours for you!! Two whole hours!! You skipped the meeting with McGonagall and I covered your silly arse there, thinking perhaps you were with Hugo, and you would meet me later. But no, your hair is all messed up, your clothes in your hand implying that they were obviously off, and your eyes are red. And on top of it all, you come down from the girls' dormitories. The GIRLS' DORIMITORIES!! As Head Boy, you need to set an example for the kids, not go around shagging people on the first day as it is…"

And she went on and on, and Sebastian would have turned around and insulted her back, but he was too exhausted. He closed his eyes in hopes that she would go away, but to no avail. Her irate rambling suddenly came to halt. He wondered what could have caused Potter to finally shut up when heard his sister's voice,

"Please don't get mad at Sebby. He really was with me, and only because I made him promise. I'm sorry he missed the meeting and everything else. Please don't yell at him though," and she walked across the room to hold his hand and continued, "He's really tired. He gave me a piggy back ride. He was late because of me and I'm sorry. Oh and I'm Syria Malfoy."

Lily's heart immediately melted. Scorpius and Albus had been right, it impossible not to fall in love with her at first sight. She didn't have the gray eyes her brothers did, hers were a bright blue, from her mother perhaps? She did have the typical platinum hair though, like her brothers. The little girl looked at Lily expectantly. Lily sighed.

"I'm sorry. I thought he was just…never mind, that's irrelevant. But I'm glad he was with you, Syria. It's really late, and you should go to bed."

"Can Sebby stay with me? Please?"

Malfoy cut in before Lily could answer.

"Syria, you don't need anyone's permission for that. No matter what anyone says." He said, giving Lily a glare.

Lily nodded in confirmation. It had been enough, and Malfoy was already furious. He hadn't said anything, but his body stiffened whenever he was angry. It was only something she noticed, not that she looked at him whenever she got a chance. It was a mere…observation. The only person that ever really experienced his anger was Lily. Rose had dubbed him a quiet, thoughtful soul. Lily scoffed when Rose had told her that. Obnoxious, insufferable, arrogant, pig was more like it. But she wouldn't tell Rose that, because she had always regarded Malfoy like a younger brother, even before she and Scorpius started dating, since Malfoy and Hugo had been best friends since first year. Realizing how tired she was, she decided to head over to her own dorm.

A/N: Sorry, it's a little short, but I wanted to make the next day a different chapter, or else it would have been too long, I feel. Also, once I get a chance to write at least three or four chapters, I will update on a regular basis, like on a certain day of the week, but for right now, updates may be slightly sporadic and I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for reading!! Please leave a review, and let me know how I am doingJ To be honest, I don't particular like this chapter much, but it's a necessary filler, since I had to introduce Lily and Syria to each other, and of course, it's incomplete without a fight between Lily and Seb. The next chapter will be better, because I will establish how their relationship (or lack thereof) came to be like this. Reviews =LOVE!!


	3. Going Too Far

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever for the review! I really do appreciate it. And for those of you that read but don't leave reviews, I beg you to leave reviews. You don't have to have an account, because I allow anonymous reviews.

Lily Luna Potter stretched and got out of bed. Glancing at her clock, she was it was 6:00, and breakfast would start by 7:00. Not wanting to waste another minute, she took her shower. Wrapping herself in a towel, she realized she left her clothes and robes in her room. She walked out of the bathroom to get her clothes only to hear,

"Have some decency, Potter. You're not the only one who lives here."

The nerve of him, she thought. First, purposely missing the meeting, and not using the Heads' Dormitories, and now accusing her, _Lily Potter_, of being indecent? And how had he gotten in without knowing the password? All these questions ran through her mind, as her stomach seemed to flip over and over. It's the nerves, Lily. Just calm down, she told herself. After all, who wouldn't be when your worst enemy saw you in only a towel?

"How about _you_ acquire some decency Malfoy, and stop gawking at me?"

"Oh please. What's there to look at, Potter?"

"Malfoy, would you please go to your room, so I can go to mine and wear my clothes? And how did you get into our Dorm without knowing the password?"

"I, unlike my counterpart, have some charm. I flirted with the portrait a little, and she told me the password. Said I would make an excellent Head Boy this year."

"It's sad that you have to get portraits to complement you, seeing as no one else will, Malfoy." Lily sneered, laughing.

"Don't you have some clothes to put on, Potter?"

Immediately, she turned red. If he knew that would have shut her up, he would said it ages ago. And while he was grateful that she would finally put some clothes on, he couldn't seem to get the image of her in a towel out of his head. He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of his thoughts. Her red hair, soaking wet, the droplets of water clinging to her body, her delectable legs. Get a grip, Seb. It's not like you haven't seen an indecent girl before. Nothing too indecent, mind you. But he had seen girls' in states of undress before, but he wasn't quite sure why this particular girl was affecting him like no other.

Hastily, Lily put her clothes on. Even with only throwing her clothes on, she looked put together. It was a talent she inherited from her mother. She brushed her hair, putting on no make-up. She loathed the ruddy stuff. It was a nuisance, and if someone were to like her, then they should like her for what she naturally is, not for a mask of make-up. Besides, it's not like would help anyway, Lily, she told herself. Most people, even her close family, didn't know that Lily Potter had a low self-esteem. Albus and Rose were probably the only ones who knew, and Lily wanted it to stay that way. She simply sighed, and went into her common room to gather her things.

"If you want to impress Williams, the least you could do is put on some make-up. Merlin knows he won't be impressed with that, dare I say it, _personality_, of yours?" Malfoy guffawed.

Lily simply turned to look at him, said nothing, and left. Sebastian knew he had gone too far, when he had seen the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He didn't even know why he cared. It was just Potter. But she had been understanding when it came to Syria earlier, that was why he supposed he owed her something. His mind drifted to seven years ago, when he was barely nine.

_Little nine year old Sebastian Malfoy was excited to meet Albus, his brother's new best friend. At first, he had been mad when Scorp came home for the first from Hogwarts for Christmas and all he could talk about was having Albus as a best friend, like another brother. But when Scorpius had reassured him that Albus wasn't replacing Sebastian, he felt better. Arriving at the Potter's house, he was greeted by the famous Harry Potter and his wife Ginny. Both of them seemed very nice, but looking at their perfect family only reminded him of how his mom had left last week. She wanted to live her life, she said, that she was too young to bear the burden of a family. Turns out, he got along great with Albus, and even James was nice. They had invited their cousin, Hugo Weasley, who was Sebastian's age, and Seb knew Hugo would be his best friend as Hogwarts. All five of them had been playing Quidditch when two redheads walked into the backyard. One of them, with blue eyes, seemed to be about Scorpius's and Albus's age, while the younger brown-eyed one looked about eight or nine, making her Seb's and Hugo's age._

"_Mum says it's time for lunch, and that you guys need to stop playing."_

"_All right, Lils. We're going to go wash up, and then come, yeah?"_

_The brown-eyed girl nodded and walked back inside. The other one stuck around, though, looking at Scorpius._

"_Do you have to show off everywhere you go, Malfoy?"_

"_You're just jealous because you're scared, Weasley." Hugo couldn't seem to stop laughing at this._

"_I like you already, Scorpius." He said, continuing to laugh at his sister. Rose huffed and went inside to eat lunch and then play with Lily._

_After lunch, Harry and Ginny went over to Ron and Hermione, who lived just down the street. Lily and Rose were helping clean up, when they noticed two uneaten bowls of custard. They didn't know that Scorpius and Sebastian had been saving them for later, and had forgotten about them. When the boys came back in, they saw both the redheads looking at the uneaten bowls. Scorpius whispered to his brother,_

"_Hey, Seb, do you wanna burst the custard onto their faces?" Sebastian nodded enthusiastically. Even at the bare age of nine, he was fairly advanced in magic, and Draco knew Seb would be wonderful at wandless magic. "Ready, one, two, three."_

_Suddenly, Lily and Rose had custard all over their faces, in their hair, and anywhere else they could imagine. It didn't take much for the girls to get angry, both inheriting the Weasley temper. Rose was about to do something, when Lily said,_

"_Let's go get cleaned up first, Rose. Then we can deal with them."_

_That night, the Malfoy boys spent the boys the night at the Potter's. The next morning, two blond headed boys looked in the mirror, only to see their beautiful blonde hair burned blue, orange, green, and pink in various places._

And that there had been no looking back since. He would insult Potter and she would hex him to the end of the world. Seb had to hand it to her, the girl was talented when it came to magic. Especially silent spells, which seemed to his particular weakness. No wonder she was always first in their year. She amused him, though, again it was that vibe she gave off when she was angry, one that no one else had. But today, when she had almost cried, he realized that she had taken it to heart. Sebastian never meant those things he said to her, he just enjoyed the reaction he got when he insulted her, because it seemed reserved only for him. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. After all, he wasn't a compassionless shrew, he did have some sense of respect; that was why he never hexed her back.

The halls of Hogwarts were empty, as it was barely 6:30, and Lily made her way to the Great Hall, wiping her tears. She heard the sound of running, and immediately who it was. She didn't how she knew, but Sebastian Malfoy had a way of running, well, gliding was more like it. She continued walking, trying to get away from him as far as possible. He probably came to gloat about him finally winning, because he finally got to you. After all these years, Lily, after all these years, Sebastian Malfoy finally got to you, she told herself. Normally, she would have hexed him. But she was tired of fighting all these years. They both needed to grow up since they were Heads together, and should at least learn to be civil towards one another. Although, she had to admit, she saw a side of him she had never witnessed before. He was soft when it came to his sister. Seeing Sebastian with Syria reminded of her first year, when Albus and James always went out of their way to help her with her. She smiled thinking of her brothers. They were complete pranksters, James probably more than Albus, but she remembered Professor McGonagall saying that the Marauders were back at Hogwarts. James was now playing for the Chudley Cannons, and Albus was training to be an Auror. It had been a while since she wrote to either of them, and made a note to remedy that as soon as she would get a chance.

"I'm sorry, Pot-Lily."

Had Sebastian Malfoy just apologized? And used her first name? She gasped in disbelief and turned around. He seemed to take this as a sign to continue, because then he said,

"I shouldn't have said that, especially since it was obvious that you were embarrassed about the whole towel issue." And then the infamous Weasley blush graced her cheeks yet again. "I didn't mean any of it, really, Lily. You're not hideous, and if you don't want to wear make-up, you don't need to."

Why was all this coming out? He had just planned a quick sorry, not an entire 'You're wonderful, Potter' speech. So then why did he just go out of his way to make _Potter_ feel better? He waited, as if wanting for her to say something, but when nothing came out of her mouth, he went began to walk.

"I like how you take care of your sister, Sebastian. I didn't realize you could be that sweet." Lily said, this time her shocking him. "You know, it reminds me of Albus, a lot. Makes me miss him and James even more."

The tears that had once been in her eyes were replaced with a twinkle, and her pout was now a smile. Surprisingly, Sebastian had a smile too, and an odd feeling rose within him, seeing her content, glowing like a lamp. But she was always like that when she was happy, her smile reached her eyes, defining it a real one. And astonishingly, he always experienced that weird feeling whenever he saw Lily happy.

"Come on, Potter. Let's go eat some breakfast, yeah?"

"Yeah, Malfoy. Let's do that."

A/N: Is it just me or is romance in the air??


	4. Of a Rejection and a Truce

A/N: Thank you to LaughingAngelsGibberish for the wonderful review! Also thank you to those who have read, and a special thank you to those who have put this story on alert.

It had been a week since school had started, and everyone was shocked that Lily Potter and Sebastian Malfoy had not killed each other. There all sorts of rumors going around Hogwarts. Some thought they were secretly shagging, others thought they were actually dating, while some put money on when they thought the two would get together. The truth was both were busy, and didn't even patrol together. They had decided to alternate because each was so busy. Sebastian Malfoy walked into his common room from Quidditch practice, only to find a certain red head who had fallen asleep, apparently writing. The girl really does put too much effort when it comes to her studies, he thought. It was her turn to patrol that night, and he had no intention of letting her forget. Upon looking closer, he realized that she had been writing a letter, not an essay. He knew she would kill him if he read it, but curiosity got the better of him. He began reading the letter,

_Dear Al,_

_I'm so sorry I haven't written you yet. Things have been quite hectic lately, with me being Head Girl and all. The responsibilities seem to mount, and the pressure is unbelievable. All the teachers are already giving loads and loads of homework, and to top it all,_

The parchment was snatched out of his hands. He looked up to see that the dragon had risen from its sleep. Her eyes were glassy, her hair messy, her mouth frowning.

"Malfoy, do you not have common courtesy? Don't you think that you ought to at least ask my permission before you read my personal letters?"

"My, my, Potter. What has your knickers in a twist?" Malfoy said, with an amused look on his face. Lily really wished she could just wipe it off.

"You know, Malfoy, I thought that perhaps we had gotten over our differences. In case, you haven't noticed, we have actually been civil to each other this week."

She just let out an exasperated gasp, and proceeded to walk out the door.

He grabbed her arm, keeping her from leaving. His gaze roaming over her again and again, the most serious expression capturing his face.

"I suppose you're right, Potter. We have made some sort of a truce in this past week, and it would be best for us to keep things that way, especially if we are to make this Heads' thing work."

That's the first sensible thing I have ever heard the boy say, Lily thought. Perhaps he really is growing up. But when Malfoy burst out in laughter, Lily realized she had reached a conclusion too soon.

"Do you really think _we _can be _civil_ to _each other_?"

"We have been, Malfoy. For over a week now." Lily didn't know why she felt a twinge of disappointment that Malfoy didn't seem to want to be civil. You're just tired of fighting, she told herself. That's all. No reason to feel bad, Lily. She shook her arm off, and walked out.

Was that _disappointment _on her face? Sebastian couldn't imagine why she would actually want to be civil. Lily Potter had always been a mature one, more mature than she needed to be, except when it came to him. She was a completely different person around him, and Sebastian took some sort of pride in that. Only when it came to him was she not the kind, beautiful, lovable Lily Potter. And Sebastian couldn't help but take a little pride in that. He would worry about her later, now he needed go find Juniper.

I know Juniper too well, he thought, as he walked into the library, smirking because he knew she would be there. She wasn't the kind of girl that usually captured his interests. Her looks could pass for above average, she was extremely bookish, and most people shared an opinion that she was a slightly stuck-up know-it-all. He really had no idea when and why Juniper Quasi of all girls had caught his attention, but she intrigued him. Ok, that was a blatant lie he told himself over and over again, not that his arrogance would ever let him admit. The truth that no one, not even Hugo, knew, was that Juniper was similar to Rose in many ways. Intelligent, bookish, difficult, and Sebastian was told over and over again that he was a spitting image of his father and older brother.

He didn't completely agree with that, but it was true, Draco, Scorpius, and Sebastian did have their similarities, and there was no denying that. And since he was so similar to Scorpius, he figured he would be happy with a girl like Rose. He smiled, thinking of his brother and future sister-in-law. They had always claimed to hate each other, but Sebastian knew better. Rose would get ridiculously jealous every time a girl even looked at Scorp, who beat up Joseph Longbottom when he tried to date the former. They finally began dating in their sixth year and were now engaged. It was a destined match from the very beginning. He didn't know of anyone else in the world who could possibly have such a volatile yet perfect relationship. And for some unfathomable reason, his argument with Potter earlier flashed in his head. Juniper, Seb, Juniper, focus on Juniper, he repeated over and over in his head.

"Juniper." He said.

"Hello, Malfoy." She said, in that rather nasal voice of hers.

"Sebastian, please call me Sebastian. And I was wondering, if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade next weekend?" He said, taking a seat across from her, casually leaning on his elbows.

"No, I do not."

Sebastian stared at her as if she had three heads and was growing a fourth one.

"I don't I heard you properly, Juniper. I thought you said no."

"You heard me correctly, Malfoy. I have no interest in pursuing a relationship that would not work and before you ask, I will tell you why it won't work. You will get fed up of me within a week. I want a gentleman, not a heartbreaking player, Malfoy, and you definitely fit into the second category. Good day."

Malfoy couldn't believe it. It was the first time a girl turned him down, and his ego hadn't taken such a blow in a really long time. Unless you count your encounters with Potter, he said, but that was simply normal. Speaking of the devil, there she was, smirking at him. It was obvious she was trying not laugh her ass off, and as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard familiar laughter. He glared at Lily but realized the laughter wasn't hers. Poking her head from behind Lily, was a certain blonde-headed, blue-eyed, toothy-smiled eleven year old who Sebastian cared for quite a bit.

"Haha, Sebby. You got rejected by a nerdy girl!" Syria giggled. "But it's okay, I still love you.", putting her little arms around her brother as best as she could.

"Now, now, Syria, let's not be mean. Juniper is a very nice girl, all right. She's just like Rose."

"SHE IS NOT!!" Both Potter and Syria said at the same time.

"Rosie is nice, and showed me where to hide my chocolates so that you and Scorpius would quit eating them. She's also very smart, unlike Cheeseface."

"Cheeseface?" Sebastian laughed, his little sister could try and try but insulting someone really wasn't her cup of tea.

"Yes, you know, the stinky kind of cheese, that's white and gross. Just like her."

This time, he did hear laughter from Potter, as he looked in her direction. Her head thrown back, her mouth fully open, and her face had that ruddy glow it always did.

"I love your sister, Malfoy. She really is adorable. I can see why you and Scorpius never stop talking about her once anyone even says the word 'family'."

He had to hand it to Potter, she had been nice to Syria, and had been understanding when Syria had a nightmare earlier, doing his patrol for him so that Sebastian could go and comfort Syria.

"Come on, Syria, let's go to the kitchens." Then she suddenly dropped her voice and said, "The house elves will give you lots of chocolates."

Syria's entire face lit up at the word 'chocolates'. She pulled her brother, telling him to join them, and Sebastian reluctantly agreed.

Watching Malfoy eat ice cream with Syria, Lily's heart ached for her own brothers. Sure they teased her to no end, and often took her money, food, and other things without telling her, but they were always there for her. Malfoy's eyes had a certain twinkle in them when he was with his sister. He would make a great father someday, Lily thought. She went back to eating her own ice cream when Malfoy said,

"All right, donut hole. Time for bed."

"Donut hole?" Lily asked, thoroughly perplexed. Little Malfoy nodded.

"When we went to America for vacation three years ago, there was a donut shop called Dunkin Donuts. They call their donut holes 'munchkins' and Scorp and Seb call me munchkin, so then I went from 'munchkin' to 'donut hole'.

Lily's mouth formed an 'O'.

"Well, your brother is right, it is time for you to go to bed, and time for me to patrol." And on that note, all three left the kitchens.

As they approached the Gryffindor Common Room, Malfoy surprised Lily again, something which he had been doing a lot lately. He had instructed his sister to go to bed herself, and she obliged. Lily was just about to ask when he said,

"You're right."

"Thank you, but what am I right about?" She asked.

"We should be civil. After all, you have made efforts, and I…Well, honestly, Potter, I didn't think we had it in each other to be civil, but tonight proved me wrong."

"Wow." She simply said. This was a lot to take in.

"So, truce?" He said, extending his hand.

"Truce." She agreed, shaking it. And while she wouldn't admit it, a part of Lily was happy that she and Malfoy had finally reached some closure.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I have been very busy. I just graduated!! Not to mention I had relatives from India visit and that was quite stressful and I had to devote my entire time to that. Also I was wondering if any of you read stories on FictionPress because I have an account on there as well, and I am considering writing on there as well. Would any of you be willing to read it? Do let me know and based on that I will decided when to post my stories on there, because if a number of you are willing to read it, then I shall begin posting it sooner rather than later.


	5. The Perfect Plan

Thank you OurLoveIsForever for the wonderful review! Yay! Now I have reached a total of 5 reviews! Please leave some reviews guys, there are over 100 hits, and that's a lot for a 5-chapter story so far, but very few reviews, so I would really appreciate if you left some. If nothing else, as a graduation present!

It had not been a good day so far, or a good month of school so far now that he thought about it. Sebastian had endlessly tried to attract Juniper's attention, while the latter blatantly rejected him time after time. But he was persistent, and knew she couldn't hold him off for long. Hell, every damn girl in the school, save for Lily and Syria, bloody worshipped him, one even deemed him the descendent of Adonis. It was only a matter of time before Juniper said yes to him. Sebastian shook his head, well now he would go talk to Lily. He couldn't believe it that he and Potter had sort of become friends over the past few weeks, after their "official truce" of sorts, and while they still argued here and there, it wasn't as violent as it had been in the past. If someone would have told him this at the beginning of the year, he would have personally escorted them to St. Mungo's and asked Scorpius, who was a Healer there, to do a thorough check-up. He muttered the password to his common room, so that he could tell Lily what had happened, yet again.

"Trouble in Paradise, Malfoy?' She drawled. Lily never understood why a girl like Juniper would ever catch Sebastian's eye. She always thought that he would go for a more fiery, feisty, bubbly, outgoing personality. But each to his own, she thought. For time being, she would be a good friend, and listen to his problems, and then give him advice.

"Yes, it's like the girl is thicker than bricks. I mean, I'm Sebastian fucking Malfoy! What more does she bloody want?"

"Not every girl is charmed by you, you know. I mean, look at me, I have known probably longer than anyone else in this school, well besides Syria, and I still haven't fallen for you, Seb."

"Yes, but you're Lily Potter. Our history isn't exactly what people would call friendship now, is it? I mean, I'm just getting used to what we have right now."

"Too damn right you are. But I think I know where the problem is, Sebastian."

"Where? And the problem is definitely with her, there is nothing wrong with me."

My, my, the boy really is bull-headed, Lily thought.

"There is nothing with me." Lily mimicked, in a mocking tone.

"How about you help me instead of mocking me, yeah?"

"All right, all right. But the answer is obvious, because Quasi herself told you what she wants."

"And what is that?"

"Remember in the library, a few weeks ago?" Sebastian nodded. "She said she wanted a gentleman, Seb, and that in her eyes, you weren't a gentleman."

"But I can be!!"

"I'm sure you can, but you have to show _her_ that."

"And just how do I do that? Wait, I know! I will just date someone, and act like a perfect gentleman around her, and then Juniper will see that I can be the perfect gentleman,"

"So, basically you will use a girl to prove that you are a gentleman to Juniper, and then break up with said girl."

"Yes, Potter. Want a cookie now?" Sebastian said, as if he were talking to a four-year old. "Only Merlin knows how you are the topper in our year."

"So what will she think when she finds out that you used a girl? To prove that you are a _gentleman_? Because if I recall correctly, she dubbed you a 'heartbreaking player' and you would just be proving her correct if you do such a thing."

Malfoy opened his mouth then shut it, and Lily continued. "This could work if the girl knew about the idea, but no self-respecting girl will agree to it, unless she gets something out of it."

"But who would agree to such a thing? I'm not paying anyone, because that's just a hassle in itself, besides why would I pay someone when surely I could get it done for free?"

There was one thing in common between Lily and Sebastian, and that was their views' on money. Both had lots of it, but both were, well there is no other way to say it, cheap and stingy.

"I would do it." Lily said, and the shock on Sebastian's face left as quickly as it came.

"To make Williams jealous?"

"I like the way you think, Malfoy." Lily said, smirking. "But I am curious, how did you figure that out?"

"You know why I have always hated you, Potter?" To this, Lily shook her head, and Sebastian laughed and went on, "Well, it's because you're basically a female version of me."

"A female version of you? I'm not arrogant and conceited, Malfoy."

"Well, I did say version, not copy, Potter. You may not be as arrogant as I am, but we are similar. I am traditional and-." Upon hearing this, Lily snorted.

"You-traditional-Malfoy?" She tried to get out in between feats of laughter. She was laughing so hard.

"I'll have you know that I can be quite traditional, Potter. You'll see, after all we will be, as much as it pains me to say it, girlfriend and boyfriend tomorrow."

"No, not tomorrow. We can't just begin dating like this, out of the blue, without reason, people will get suspicious, more importantly, Quasi and Richard will get suspicious."

"No, they won't, Potter. Don't be silly."

"Think about it, Sebastian. People can hardly accept that it has been over a month since school started, and we are actually being civil towards one another." He couldn't argue with that, how could he expect people to believe they were dating, when he himself could still barely register that he and Lily Potter, of all people, were almost _friends_?

"You're right, Lily." He said, sighing. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, right now it's the first week of October." Sebastian nodded. "I think our first 'date' should be the weekend of Halloween. That way people have time to see that we actually can be friendly towards one another and it's a believable relationship. A sickle for your thoughts?"

"You know I have always been a practical one, but I hate how you always tend to be more practical than me. But I suppose you're right, people do need to get used to the idea of us."

"So are you in?"

"I'm in, Potter. I'm in."

"Well, so let's run through it one time, so we get the details straight, all right?" Malfoy nodded as Lily went on. "All right, we pretend to date, so that you can show Juniper what a true gentleman you are, and Richard will be jealous and admit his feelings for me."

"Sounds good, but how do I know that you won't fall through and sell me out or something, Potter? I mean, even now, we argue, and if I make you mad, I don't want you to tell Juniper everything."

"I'm hurt that you would say that, Sebastian." Lily said, feigning hurt, as she put her hand on her heart. "I am in Gryffindor, therefore, I would be loyal, wouldn't I? And, I haven't sold you out yet…Capricornus."

A/N: Yes, I know, Hufflepuff is the house that emphasized loyalty, but I think Gryffindors are loyal too. And muahahahaha, who is Capricornus and what is the mystery behind that? OH AND should I change the rating to mature because there will probably be more cursing, and soon things will start to get steamy between Lily and Seb. Any thoughts on that? Do you want things to get steamy between them? Oh and my story on FictionPress is also up. It's called Guy of My Dreams. Please check it out if you get a chance. The link is posted below

.com/s/2683668/1/Guy_of_My_Dreams

My PenName is the same, MiZZ SaHurr. If the link doesn't work, then my profile's link is,

.com/u/665821/MiZZ_SaHurr

and you can get the story from there.


	6. Capricornus Malfoy

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever for reviewing! Also thank you to those who have this story on alert, and a thank you to any others who are reading, as this story now has over 100 hits! But only 5 reviews? Something wrong with that picture?? I think so!

Lily was ready, and she waiting on Malfoy. _Sebastian_, she corrected herself. After all, if they were going to be friendly, they would have to call each other by their first names. She had always been a terrible liar, easily caught by her brothers, or parents, or the beggar on the street. _Why did I even agree to this_, Lily scolded herself mentally, wondering if Richard was really worth it, but it was this year or never. It was a risk, and Lily rarely took risks, but it was necessary she decided. As Malfoy appeared, she greeted him, and received a cordial reply.

"Are you ready, Lily?" Sebastian asked, hoping that this would work. He wasn't much for risk-taking, not that he would ever let anyone know. But if he was to woo Juniper, this seemed like the only way.

"I do believe I am, Sebastian." He offered her his arm, and she hesitantly took it. She lacked the experience of relationships that Malfoy flaunted. She didn't begin dating until her fourth year, and even then, she hadn't dated much. Most people complained at how selective Lily was about her boyfriends, but with older brothers like James and Albus, it wasn't exactly easy to date. And there was the whole issue with… Besides, it was obvious that most boys who wanted to date her wanted to only because of her name. A few weeks before she came to Hogwarts, her parents had told her of her dad's status in the wizarding world. And ever since then, she had to be careful about who her friends were. It wasn't like she didn't have any, she did. But most of them had graduated, Beth had moved to France during fifth year and with having such a huge family, who needed friends?

Sebastian noticed Lily in deep thought, for she hadn't started any small talk yet, and they were almost to the Great Hall. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he said,

"Have you written that essay for DADA yet?"

"The one over silent spells?"

"Yes, that would be the one." Normally, Sebastian would have said, _'No, the other five hundred that we had to write over wandless magic, Potter.'_, but he could tell she was brooding about something important.

By the time they entered the Great Hall, Lily was in her normal mood, and for that, Sebastian thanked Merlin. When they walked in laughing and talking as if they were friends, the entire Hall fell silent. They looked around awkwardly, and took their seats. As they began eating their food, people resumed their regular activities, each stealing a glance, and of course, the occasional gossip.

"They're sitting together, and they are both still alive!"

"I heard they were secretly shagging in their private Heads' Dorm."

"Obviously. The sexual tension between has only stockpiled over the years. It was bound to happen somehow."

Normally, Lily would have taken objections upon hearing such gossip, but today she smiled. The plan was working, perhaps a little better than she hoped.

People were already forming their ideas about him and Pott-Lily. Sebastian looked over at the Ravenclaw table, hoping to see Juniper. Instead, he was greeted with an icy stare from Williams. He nudged Lily, and whispered,

"Don't turn and look, simply continue to eat your food. But Williams is giving me a death glare right now. It's better than what we thought, Lily."

Lily giggled at Sebastian's choice of words. _Death glare, _she thought, _as if kind, gentle, musical Richard were capable of that._

* * *

The whole rest of the week went in a similar fashion. The Head Boy and Head Girl were seen together more in that one week, than they had been in their entire lives. And as the weeks passed, people knew it was only a matter of time before the two were in a full-fledged relationship.

They were sitting in Potions, and for once, Slughorn let them choose their partners and Lily and Sebastian willingly paired up for the first time.

"Here, let me help you with that." Sebastian said, as Lily brought a cauldron from the other side of the room, Lily pretended to watch in awe, as his athletic body easily handled the cauldron that her own petite form could not.

As Sebastian was cutting the root, Lily put her hands on his, and said,

"You need to be a little more gentle, Sebastian. You're going to mush the ends, and the potion won't turn out as expected." She smiled, and Sebastian replied,

"So,, I'm assuming that whenever you're around, and there is low visibility, there is never a need to say _lumos_?"

"I'm not sure I follow what you are saying." Lily said. _What is he talking about? I swear only Malfoy and Merlin know what goes on his head-_

"I meant that your smile is so radiant, there would be no need to light one's wand because your smile would light up everything around it."

To this, Lily blushed. _No wonder all the girls fall for him. With compliments like that, who would be silly enough to resist the Malfoy charm? _She had met Draco once, and even at such an age, he was a charming man. Both of Draco's sons inherited that charm, because from day one, Scorpius and Sebastian had girls falling at their feet. There was no doubt in Lily's mind, that Syria would be any different. Because even at the age of eleven, she was a beautiful girl.

"So how was that?" Sebastian whispered, so that only Lily could hear.

"Mind-blowing, especially with the compliment. If I didn't know any better, I would say you meant it, Malfoy. Congratulations on a job well done."

"What makes you think I didn't mean it, Potter? Every member of the male population at Hogwarts, myself included, acknowledges what attractive girl you are. But then again, everyone also knows how selective you are, when it comes to dating." Then he stepped back and said, "I meant every word." and then continued to follow the rest of the people out of class.

Only then did Lily realize that class that ended, but she stood there, staring at the spot where Sebastian had just been standing.

* * *

_She's late, probably for the first time ever in her life, _Sebastian thought. Potions had been the last lesson of the day and she had disappeared after that. She wasn't even at dinner. He sighed, and decided to go on patrol himself. His first stop, as always, was the Astronomy Tower. Seeing a shadow, he quickened his pace, only to find the person he was looking for earlier.

"What are you doing here? I was wondering where you were. You weren't even at dinner."

She turned to face him, and said,

"I'm sorry. I came here to think."

He walked over to where she was standing, her back touching the rail of the balcony, and leaned on the balcony.

"So, care to tell me what you were thinking about?"

"Does it matter, Sebastian?"

"Yes, because I don't want you all brooding on our patrol, and until you talk about it, you will stay in zombie mode."

"How is it that you know me so well, Malfoy? I mean, you of all people?"

"Takes one to know one, Potter."

She laughed lightly, and then laid down, the stars holding her gaze.

"You see that group of stars right there, the ones that seem to twinkling the most?" Lily looked at Sebastian as he nodded, as he laid down next to her. "I never knew how bright that constellation really was, until this year, when I began observing it this year. Now I feel guilty for not realizing how beautiful that constellation really is."

"Why didn't you notice it before?" Lily shrugged at this, and said,

"I was forced to work with it this year. For my astronomy project."

"What constellation is it?"

"Capricornus." Lily breathed.

"Potter, must you tell the entire world my first name?" Sebastian asked, even though no one was around, and it was even hardly audible to him when Lily said his first name.

"I was referring to the constellation, Sebastian. The constellation is Capricornus."

"Oh." And after a silence, the question he had been meaning to ask her for a while now popped into his head. "How do you know my first name?"

"I was wondering when you would ask. Remember, in fourth year, when I played in the Quidditch match against Slytherin, in place of Hayden Wod?"

"Yeah, I remember it quite well actually."

"Well, you came into Albus's and Scorpius's dorm, and I heard him refer to you as Capricornus Sebastian Malfoy, and he gave you a long lecture about the whole incident being your fault. Then you became angry because you hated being referred to by your first name."

"I thought you were asleep."

"I only pretended to be, so that Albus and James would stop breathing down my neck and leave me alone." said Lily, giving a small chuckle.

"You've known that long? And not once have you said anything? Wow, I…I am indebted to you, Lily. Really, I am. I don't know what to say."

"Never thought I would see the day Sebastian Malfoy was speechless, but then again, you never fail to surprise me."

"Come on, Lily. Let's go, we have a patrol to finish."

He stood up, and offered her his hand, which she took. They made their way back, and Sebastian Malfoy's mind floated back to fourth year…

A/N: So tell what you think? And I think I can start updating on a regular basis, such as every Thursday afternoon? Is that good? Also this is a very important chapter, and I hope the metaphor/simile whatever made sense. If not, just ask me, and I will let you know. Thank you for reading!!


	7. Flashback

A/N: So this chapter takes place right after the last one because Sebastian thinking, and includes the memory that Lily and Sebastian were referring to in the last chapter. It starts off with the memory. Also thank you to OurLoveIsForever and dbgothicprincess for reviews, and thank you to those who added the story to their alerts, and thank you to everyone else who read. And yes, I know I'm not really supposed to update until tomorrow, but I really couldn't help it...I have a lot of the story already written, and like I said before chapters 6, 7, and 8 occur exactly after each other, I felt the need to put them up together, so I will update again tomorrow! Do leave reviews, please!

"_No, James, for the last time, NO!!" Lily bellowed. _Why me?_, she thought. It was enough that her brothers annoyed her to no end, but asking her of this? The mere thought was ridiculous._

"_Come on, it's just this once. If we win the match against Slytherin, then we will face Hufflepuff in the finals, and we are sure to beat them. Do it for Gryffindor, if not for me." And as if one brother wasn't enough, here came the other._

"_Any luck, James?"_

"_No, Al. Our little flower is too stubborn. Perhaps you can convince her."_

"_Lils, please. Don't be selfish. It's just one match. Hayden will be fine in two weeks, and everything will get back to normal. Please, baby flower."_

_They knew her too well. Her brothers knew from day one how manipulate her. It was her fault, she acted like their big sister more than they did her older brothers. She was always mature, and covered for their mistakes. But she was nothing, if not adamant, and she wouldn't give in this time. Nothing, no one, could convince her. Not even for Merlin's sake._

"_Lily, the team needs you. And I know you're not one to abandon those in need." Lily whipped around to face her closest cousin, sister if you will. But at the moment, Lily was finding Rose Weasley quite intolerable._

"_You hate Quidditch, Rose! You're only saying because you're dating _him_!!!!!!" Lily screamed, pointing to Scorpius._

"_Well, Potterette, I wouldn't be dating Rose, if it weren't for you." The stupid blonde said, smirking, wrapping his arms around Rose's waist, his chin on her head. It was true, Lily, being the perceptive one, brought the redhead beauty and blonde hunk to their senses, and said that they should just snog to rid themselves of the sexual tension. They had been dating for over 8 months now, and were indeed in paradise._

"_I'm not playing, and that's final."_

"_You know, judging by the way you have acted for the past fourteen years, one would assume that you actually care about us, but I'm afraid I'm wrong." James said, knowing it was working. It was a matter of time before she would crumble._

"_Oh don't be daft, James. Just because Lily stays up all night, helping you review for NEWTs, like she did with me last year for OWLs, doesn't mean she cares. Just because she has skipped meals to do my Prefect duties when I forget them occasionally, doesn't mean she cares. Just because she's the reason Mandy and I, and Rose and Scorpius are finally together, doesn't mean she cares." Albus chipped in._

_Then Scorpius picked up where his best friend left off._

"_After all, if she can do those things, this is a piece of cake for her."_

_Lily sighed. The entire House had been like this for two days, ever since Hayden Wood broke his arm and couldn't play Keeper. She didn't know why they were asking her. She was hardly decent on a broom._

"_Why are you people wasting your time?" She heard someone drawl in the background, and immediately knew who the voice belonged to: Sebastian Malfoy. "If she was going to say yes, she would have done it ages ago. I asked Abbey, she said she would do it, if either me or Scorpius or Albus or James snogged her. Since none of you are available, I said I would. And we had a smashing snogging session, I tell you. So I told her I would let her play."_

_How dare he? The entire school knew that Abbey Dimmsdale couldn't ride a broom worth a knut, not to mention she knew nothing about Quidditch. There was no way Gryffindor would win if she played. Lily had family history, seeing as her mother had been a professional player, whose record was still unbroken, and James had already signed his contract with the Chudley Cannons. Lily immediately felt her anger from her siblings shift toward Malfoy._

"_I'll do it." She said defiantly._

"_I told you, Potter. We won't be in need of your services; Abbey would be more than happy to play."_

"_Dimmsdale would probably allow the Slytherin Chasers to score. At least, _I _know I am supposed to prevent them from scoring. But then, again, all you would care about is snogging her, wouldn't you, you male, chauvinistic PIG!!???"_

_The entire common room was watching amusedly, as the two began moving towards the center of the room, with each insult being harsher than the last. Finally, Lily was staring up into the face of Sebastian. Poking his chest, she said,_

"_I _will _play, and we _will_ win against Slytherin, securing our spot in the finals." And with that, she stomped out._

"_Did you really snog Dimmsdale, Seb?" His older brother asked, his eyes wide in horror. It was common knowledge that Abbey Dimmsdale was the resident whore, and had already slept with the likes of Alfred Nott, Zakarias Zabini, Phillip MacMillan, Maximillian Burnsby , as well as other guys, despite being only in her fifth year. It was also known, that while she did sleep with all those people from different Houses, she never managed to bag a date with the heartthrobs of her own House, James, Scorpius, Albus, and the recently added, Sebastian._

"_Hah! Please, like I would ever spare that concubine a look. I only said it because I knew it would annoy Potter, and she would say yes." Sebastian scoffed._

"_Know her too well, do you?"_

_Sebastian glared at his older brother, understanding what he was implying. The entire school thought that he and Potter were meant to be together. He laughed at the thought, sure, she was good-looking, but they had too many years of fighting behind them for him to even consider her anything but an annoyance. It didn't matter that she was the hands down, the most beautiful girl in their year. It didn't matter that she smelled so sweet, like fresh grass, and lilies. She hated him, and he hated her, and that was that. He shook his head, and stormed out. Moments later, both Lily and Sebastian came back in, yelling at the top of their lungs, _

"_ARE WE GOING TO HOLD A PRACTICE OR WHAT?" And on that note, all the members of the team, James, Albus, Scorpius, Roxanne, and Fred filed out. Mandy and Rose trailed behind them to watch._

* * *

"_You're not doing it right, Potter."_

"_All I have to do block the goals, which is exactly what I am doing. There is no right or wrong, Malfoy!"_

"_Your reactions are too late, Potter. You have got to be alert!"_

"_I am alert, thank you very much!!"_

And they were at it again_, everyone thought. This was, by far, the most unproductive practice ever. Then again, this was Lily Luna Potter and Capricornus Sebastian Malfoy that they were talking about. India and Pakistan could probably set aside their differences and make up, but those two? Never._

"_All right, all right, break it up, you two." James said, when he saw that each had pulled their wands out. He quickly disarmed the both of them, and Albus ran to hold Lily back, while Scorpius ran to do the same to Sebastian._

"_Why can't you two just get along for once in your lives?" Roxanne Weasley wailed. She was thoroughly fed up of it, as was everyone else._

"_Now, can you both set aside your differences, and work as a team?" James said, in his captain-like tone._

"_I can, James. I don't know about your sister, thought."_

"_Lily will, right, Lils?" Albus said glaring at the redhead, as if daring her to contradict him. After what seemed like eons, she finally nodded. The two didn't argue for the rest of the practice, and things seemed all right, until the next practice._

_Everyday, when the Gryffindor team had the field booked, practically the entire House came to watch the infamous Malfoy-Potter bickering. Eventually, the rest of the team would start practice, and Lily and Sebastian would cease arguing._

* * *

_Finally, the day of the big match came, and James was giving his typical pre-match talk to his team. Everyone was pumped, except a certain brown-eyed redhead. She suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her, which caused her eyes to widen,_

"_What?" She squeaked out._

"_You will be fine, Lily. Don't worry, my little flower." James said, pulling her in a one-armed hug. "Come on, let's go rock, eh?"_

_She nodded, closing her eyes tight, so that the tears wouldn't show. She hated crying in front of people, she didn't want to appear vulnerable. She was still aware of the fact that if she didn't live up to her last name, it would cost Gryffindor the match, and Lily would never be able to forgive herself. She waited as the other members of the team filed out, and she let a few tears slip. Then she quickly joined her team._

"_You will be fine, Potter." Lily looked up, through blurry eyes, to see gray eyes, and blonde hair. The figure had awkwardly patted her back. He left before she could say anything, because it was time to mount their brooms. She quickly wiped her eyes, so that she could clearly see. She would remember to thank Scorpius for his support later. However, she couldn't help but wonder why Scorpius didn't use his usual names for her, it was always Lily, Potterette, or Flower number 2, never merely Potter. She heard Madam Hooch's whistle, snapping her out of her thoughts. She quickly hovered to the goalposts, and braced herself._

_Gryffindor had leading, because the Slytherins had only scored two goals, and those two were scored through deceit, which they labeled strategy. Truth be told, James and Albus were worried that the Slytherins would play dirty, but soon saw that they didn't give their little sister enough credit. Scorpius and Sebastian had been doing fine as Beaters, and Roxanne, Fred, and James were scoring like there was no tomorrow. Albus looked around, as he spotted the Snitch, hovering near the Gryffindor goalpost. He also saw that Zakarias Zabini had been too occupied flirting with Goyle to notice the Snitch. He slyly sped over to the Snitch, and while Zabini completely missed this, Crabbe, a Slytherin Beater, didn't. He knew how to stop Albus Potter, and no, it wasn't just by aiming the Bludger at _only him. _He gave a hand signal to Nott, who was the other Beater, who would aim the other Bludger at Lily Potter._

_Sebastian knew something was up, when he saw Nott and Crabbe conversing through hand signals, he saw them aiming Bludgers at Albus and Lily. He shouted, _

"_Look out, Albus!!" And made his way just in time, so that the Bludger did not hit him. Unfortunately, he didn't realize where the Bludger was going as he hit with his Beater's bat, and just as Albus had caught the Snitch, everyone heard two earsplitting CRACKS!!, right after another. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they saw Lily Potter fall, taking two hard hits, practically at the same time._

_James rushed over, speeding up his pace, as did Albus, and finally, they both caught onto each of her arms, and James shifted so that she could ride with him. She was bleeding horribly, the Bludger hit her neck and her stomach._

_In the stands, Rose had already left to get Madam Pomfrey. As they brought out a stretcher, Lily whispered, _

"_We won, didn't we? James, Al, I didn't disappoint you guys, did I?"_

_And then she closed her eyes._

_Madam Pomfrey had fully healed her within two days, but her overprotective brothers still didn't want her to go to classes the next school day. She had spent the night in James's dorm, and now she was resting in Albus's room. She was wide awake, but as soon as she heard the doorknob turn, she quickly closed her eyes. Lily was tired of her brothers' constant apologies. It really wasn't that big of a deal. But she didn't hear her brother, instead she heard Sebastian and Scorpius yelling._

"_It's all your fault, Seb."_

"_My fault? You're also a Beater!! Isn't your job the same as mine? To make sure that the Bludgers don't hit our players? You can't blame all of it on me, Scorp. You're just as much at fault as I am."_

"_Really? Because if I recall correctly, the strategy is that you look after the Keeper and the Seeker, while I take care of the Chasers. I was doing my part-"_

"_SO WAS I!!! I saved Albus, but I just didn't realize that the Bludger was directed towards Lily after I hit it."_

"_Shh, you'll wake her up. Al and James would kill us then. But Sebastian, make sure you apologize to her. Everyone has, save for you."_

_Sebastian simply crossed his arms. It was his fault, but his pride came in the way. He would feel belittled apologizing to Potter._

"_Capricornus Sebastian Malfoy!! Will you swallow your damn pride for once?"_

"_Scorpius!!! I can't believe you just…my first name…oh, damn you!!" And he walked out. Scorpius realizing his mistake, followed his brother, knowing it would be at least a week before Sebastian forgave him._

Capricornus? _Lily wanted to giggle so badly, but she could see why he went by his middle name. After all, who wouldn't? She felt bad for him, and for Scorpius for that matter. For such fine-looking boys, they had terrible names. _No, no, no, Lily!You didn't just call Malfoy fine!! _She sighed, and yawned. The injuries were getting to her head, she was becoming delirious, her brothers were right. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea after all._

A/N: So, I guess the next chapter will be part three, because this is so long!!! I didn't imagine it would be this long. But anyway, I will update tomorrow!! Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! Oh I just realized, that while it did seem like this is Sebastian's memory, it was necessary to put in the little Lily POV in the end...ahh, now I think I'm delirious. Anyway, do tell me what you think...


	8. Back to Old Ways and then New Ways Again

A/N: Here it is, part three, and then I promise that's the end of this particular scene. I had to divide them up because you yourself saw how long it would have been if I hadn't. Thank you to dbgothicprincess and OurLoveIsForever for the wonderful reviews and 380 hits! I can't believe it, thank you so much readers! You have made me happy, although you can make me happier by reviewing. I know that at least ten people have this story on alert, so I mean come on, review please?? Anyway, on with the chapter, here is number 8!

_She knows. She's always known, and yet, she never told anyone. The least you could do is call her a friend, _Sebastian thought, as Lily muttered the password to their Common Room.

"Lily?" He asked, more timidly than anyone thought possible.

"Yes?"

"Are we...friends?" Lily chuckled, and said,

"I suppose we are. I mean, we are helping each other out, aren't we?"

"That is what friends do." Sebastian said, nodding his head. "Good night, Lily."

"Don't you think we should talk about tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?"

"This weekend is the trip to Hogsmeade for Halloween remember?"

And realization dawned on him.

"Yes, tomorrow at breakfast, I will ask you if you will accompany me to Hogsmeade."

"Yes, but I think I shouldn't give in so easily. I was thinking you should ask me tomorrow, and I will initially say no, but then you should kneel down on your knees and ask me a second time. After that, I will say yes. Because remember, we are trying to show Juniper that you can be a real gentleman. Yet, you also want to show her your passionate side, so you just have to show that you can be persistent but at the same time, patient."

"Why does it have to be so fucking complicated? Why can't we just date and get it over with? I don't want people to think I _actually like you_." Sebastian said, sighing.

Lily's eyes narrowed, and Sebastian immediately regretted what he said. Her temper hadn't flared in a while, but that was all said and done. Now he would have to apologize quickly in hopes that she wouldn't hex him. She had controlled her anger on little things, and it had surprised Sebastian quite a bit. But even he knew there was no holding her back now, because the volcano was about to erupt.

"That's not what I meant, Lily. I mean, you're likeable…at times…most times….erm…damn." The familiar sparks that flew out of her eyes when she was angry could now be seen, her hair becoming fire. "I meant, I…you've got a great personality…oh boy"

"Cat got your tongue, Malfoy? Or perhaps it is just your big foot in your mouth that prevents you from forming coherent sentences.:" And he embraced himself for what came next, and sure enough it came.

She barely pointed her wand at him, and the hex hit him full on. Turning his own bloody bogies into bats, and he couldn't even get away from them! They kept on nipping at him, biting him, torturing him. His father had experienced this curse once, by none other than Lily's mother, Ginny.

Smirking, she went into her own room. Honestly, what had she been thinking? That her and Malfoy could really be friends. As if! October was basically over, and the whole time, _she_ had been making the efforts to be civil and friendly. _She_ kept her temper in check when Malfoy was late for patrol, or decided that he was too tired to patrol. _But so much for that_, she thought sourly.

"What happened to you, Seb?" Lily heard a squeaky voice say, who was apparently walking into their dorm. As she walked into her room, Lily decided to keep the door slightly ajar, so she could hear what Malfoy would tell his sister.

"Nothing, Syria. I'm all right."

"You don't look all right to me." Syria said, in her just-because-I-am-young-doesn't-mean-I'm-stupid tone.

"It's just Potter. I told her I didn't like her and she hexed me, nothing new there." Lily eye's widened upon hearing this. _He's lucky his sister is here, or else he would have been experiencing round two right now._

"But if you don't like her, then why is she all you talk about? Even at home?" Anger immediately boiled up, as Sebastian began yelling at his sister.

"I talk about her because she annoys me, Syria. And why have you been eavesdropping on me? You know you're not supposed to be listening when Scorpius and I are talking in my room."

Syria fell silent. Sebastian rarely yelled at her, but when he did, he meant it. She was about to cry, after she was only a small child.

Lily's heart immediately softened, but then again, it usually did when Syria Malfoy was involved. Lily had begun to take an immense liking to the little girl, and they got along much better than Lily had gotten along with any of the Malfoy children. And that was saying something, because Lily and Scorpius did get along just fine.

"You don't have to direct your anger for me towards her, you know." Lily said, disappearing as quickly as she appeared, pulling Syria with her to her room.

"Older brothers are always like that. I should know, I have two older ones too."

"James and Albus are like that too?" Syria said, setting in Lily's lap.

"Yeah, they are far worse than Sebastian. You know, it's been two months since we have been here, and this is the first time I have seen him yell at you like that."

"I have never seen him angry like that. He has yelled at me before, like maybe, twice? But never like _that_. Oh, he hates me!!"

"He doesn't hate you." Lily assured her. "Older brothers care more about their sisters than they let on."

"Scorpius and Sebastian do care about me a lot," Syria said nodding, "but they eat the chocolates that Daddy buys me. They say I'm already much too sweet for chocolates, but I think they just want an excuse to eat them, because Daddy never bought them nearly as many chocolates."

"James and Albus always eat my food too. It's probably an older brother thing, or just a brother thing in general, because Hugo does the same to Rose."

"How is Rosie? I haven't written to her in a while. I should do that."

"Do you like Rose, Syria?"

"Mmmhmm. She is really sweet, and kind, and nice, and she's just wonderful." Syria said, sighing happily. "You know, when Scorpius brought her home for Easter, I was only eight, but I still remember how much fun she had been. I always wanted an older sister, because I…" Then Syria fell silent, and Lily saw a maturity in her that wasn't normal of the typical eleven- year old. But it wasn't her place to pry. Lily turned as she heard a knock on her door.

Sebastian saw his sister cuddled in Lily's lap. Syria was smiling her toothy smile, but when he came in, Syria's expression immediately changed. He knelt in front of his sister, and said,

"Syria. Syria. Syria, will you please look at me at least?" His little sister looked at him, her bright blue eyes wide and sad. He sighed and continued, "I'm sorry, angel. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"I'm sorry, Sebby. I was just trying to help. Are you still mad at me?"

Sebastian shook his head, and replied,

"Are you still mad at me?" Syria giggled and said,

"You're silly, Seb. I can't stay mad at you for long." And she outstretched her arms towards her brother who gladly picked her up. Syria threw her head back and laughed as her brother twirled her in the air.

"I love you, Sebby."

"I love you too, Syria."

After that, Malfoy and Syria went to his room, and Lily could hear them playing. Sebastian Malfoy was actually playing with dolls, and Lily smiled to herself. She imagined that life would be never be dull with a younger sibling. Not that her life was dull now by any means, but she often wondered what it would be like if she had a younger brother or sister. She lied down on her bed, and stared at the ceiling. She was tired, but sleep just wouldn't come. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she heard Malfoy's voice in her doorway.

"She's asleep." He said. Lily smiled,

"If only Juniper could see you like this." Suddenly, she had a great idea. "Malfoy, how about we take Syria with us on our first date!!??"

"Are you mad? I'm not going to use my sweet, innocent, angelic sister. I have ethics you know."

"Yeah, that's why you snogged Abbey Dimmsdale in fourth year." Lily snorted.

"I would never, even if offered a million galleons, snog the likes of her."

"It sure seemed like you did when you boasted about it." Why did she bring this up? After three years? _What's wrong with you, Lily?, _Lily asked herself. Malfoy chuckled,

"Silly Potter, I only said that because I knew it would irk you, and you agree to play for us in the match against Slytherin."

"I would have eventually relented, you know."

"Please, like you really would have, Potter. You are probably the only person I know who is fantastic on a broom, yet is daft enough not to play Quidditch." Lily cocked her head to one side, her expression unreadable.

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"Would I ever compliment you, Potter?"

"You did earlier today."

"We were putting on act for the world, Potter."

_He didn't mean any of it_. And Lily was wondering why she felt a twang of disappointment, but it left as soon as it came.

"You're right, it was an act for the world to see."

"Get some sleep, we have a big day of us, tomorrow."

"We have a big rest of the week ahead of us, Malfoy." Malfoy grinned and said,

"Sweet dreams, Lily."

"Good night, Sebastian."

A/N: I don't like this chapter at all. I think it's very poorly written but I do have a bad case of writer's block. I edited and changed at least eight times, but I just can't seem to get it right. Oh well, until next Thursday. Take Care! And leave a review!! Oh and if you don't mind, please check out my story, Guy of My Dreams on FictionPress. The link is posted below!


	9. Plan in Action

A/N: So here is chapter 9! Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, dbgothicprincess, and Vmsuperfan and Kagome Nightmare for the wonderful reviews!! You make me happy!! And also thank you to the alerts, favorites, and other readers out there!

Sebastian was nervous, for the first time ever, about asking a girl to Hogsmeade. And moreover, he wasn't even nervous about how the girl would react, because he knew Lily would say yes. He was nervous about Juniper's reaction. He hoped it would work. And as if sensing his worry, Lily said,

"Don't worry, Sebastian. Everything will be all right. Just remember what we talked about, and it will be fine."

He gave Lily a small smile and nod, but in reality, he was trying to reassure himself more than her. As they walked together to the Great Hall, he said,

"This is it."

They both sat in their usual places, on either side of Hugo, who as always was oblivious to everything around him when he had food on his plate.

"Good morning, Hugo." Hugo gave her a nod, and proceeded to eat some of the eggs on her plate. She stared at him amusedly, and shook her head. People always said Albus and Rose's relationship was liker her dad and Aunt Hermione's while she and Hugo were like her mum and Uncle Ron.

"Lily, can I borrow your Charms essay? I forgot it was due, but today when I saw Ruth working on it, I remembered it."

"We will see, Hugo. I will think about it." Hugo nodded, wondering why his cousin was behaving oddly today. Well, breakfast was almost over, and Hugo decided that he needed to read before his quiz next lesson.

Just then, Sebastian Malfoy stood up, and went in the middle of the Great Hall, his eyes never leaving the Ravenclaw table, ready to gauge Juniper's reaction.

"I have a question, for a special young lady, and I have been meaning to ask her that question for quite some time now."

Everyone looked expectantly at Sebastian, and he definitely enjoyed being the center of attention.

"I want to ask Lily Luna Potter, if she would be so kind as to grace me with her presence this weekend at Hogsmeade?"

_Wow, _Lily thought, _he really is good. But I have to turn him down. Or else, Juniper won't get to see his 'gentleman' side._

"No, I'm sorry, Malfoy. I can not."

The entire Great Hall gasped. After all, who would spurn such a romantic gesture? But even the most daft knew that Lily Potter was nothing if not selective, but surely Sebastian Malfoy would be good enough for her. He was undoubtedly Hogwarts' most eligible bachelor. Then he did as a gentleman would, and knelt down on one knee, taking her hand, and pleading,

"Please, Lily. I waited for this for seven years. Don't break my heart now."

Lily gave the dramatic pause they had regularly practiced, and said,

"Yes. Yes, I will accompany you to Hogsmeade this weekend. It's a date."

Both Lily and Sebastian glanced at the Ravenclaw table, seeing if Richard or Juniper noticed, but both showed no sign of surprise, dislike, jealousy, or anything for that matter. Each had an expression as if they were in Professor Binn's class. Lily's heart sank, and Sebastian made an effort to hide his disappointment. _They will come around eventually, don't worry, Seb,_ he told himself in hopes of consolation. Just then, the entire Great Hall cheered, and the sound of applause probably rang through out Scotland.

"Yay!! I knew it would happen! I'm so excited! Maybe Seb will marry you, just like Scorp is gonna marry Rosie!! Then I will two pretty redheads for sister-in-laws." Syria Malfoy screamed. The happiness was evident on her face, as she ran to give Lily a hug and Sebastian a high five. Sebastian pulled Lily towards him, and put his hand around her waist.

"A little too much, Malfoy." Lily whispered in his ear. Shaking his head, Sebastian said,

"No, this is just right, Potter. Williams won't get jealous if he doesn't see us close. Remember, it's not just about me, Lily."

Lily smiled, and Syria asked,

"What were you two talking about? It must have been something good because I don't think I have ever seen Lily smile at you like that. She smiles at me like that all the time, though. She says I am cute."

"You are cute, my sweet." Sebastian said.

"That's what John said." Syria said, giggling. "He's just like you and Scorp. He's always worried about me. Did I tell you, that the other day, I needed help in Potions and I didn't even have to ask him! He's my best friend." Syria sighed happily.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. _Again with that wanker, Ungermeyer_, he thought. Syria was getting way too close to that prat. It wasn't good, and it was obvious he fancied Syria. What's more is that Syria actually seemed to like the prat, even if only as a friend. She was too innocent to question the eleven year old boy's intentions, but Sebastian knew better.

"Syria, next time you need help in _anything_, you come to _me_, understand?" Sebastian said.

"But, you hate Potions, and you're not exactly good at them." Syria said, quietly. She didn't want to embarrass her big brother, but it was the truth. Sebastian huffed.

"Well, ask Lily for help, just don't…don't go to Ungermeyer as a first choice, all right?" Then he whispered to Lily, "I hope you don't mind." Lily simply shook her head, letting Sebastian know that she was willing to help Syria anytime.

_He never fails to amuse me_, Lily thought. Sebastian's internal struggle played on his face. He really was protective of his sister, more than he let on to the world, but Lily knew better, seeing it firsthand from the very first day of school. Seeing Malfoy with Syria brought back her memories with James and Albus at Hogwarts. The memory of Ryan Andrews came back too, and Lily shook her head. _Richard won't be like him_, Lily told herself. After just because she was hurt once by a guy didn't mean they were all like that, right? James and Albus had been furious when they found out. Lily had never seen them like that. If Richard was like Ryan, then he wouldn't have taken the time to get to know her, or be friends with her.

"The rest of us are ready when you are, Lily." Sebastian's voice bringing Lily out of her thoughts.

"Let's go, Sebastian." Lily replied.

"Daddy and Scorpius are going to be so happy when they hear about this! In fact, I'm going to write a letter to them right now!" Syria said, skipping ahead of the two new 'lovebirds'.

"Damn. I hadn't anticipated that coming. I have to stop her before she writes anything." Sebastian said, while Lily followed him to the Common Room.

"Have you written that letter to Dad and Scorp yet, Syr?"

"Nope, and I'm not going to." Syria said, with a knowing smile.

_Thank God. I don't know what I would have done,_ Sebastian thought.

"She won't need to write a letter, because Scorpius and Mr. Malfoy have already found out, along with the rest of our families; because I just wrote a letter, and then used the copy charm to write the same letter multiple times and then I sent them to the entire family! You and Rose are always talking about how daft I am, aren't you, Lily? I finally did something right!" Hugo smiled, and nodded, not even realizing that Lily and Sebastian's mouths were wide open.

_Shit_, each thought. Now they were just planning to go home for Christmas, but now they would probably have to spend Christmas with each other, seeing as their family knew by now. What would they tell their parents? And moreover, what would they tell Scorpius, Rose, and Albus? They could probably fool the others with sheer luck, but Rose, Scorp, and Al would see right through their lies.

"All right, well, it was nice chatting, but Seb and I have things we need to discuss, right, Seb?" Lily said, trying to desperately hide her nerves, not that it wasn't already obvious she was nervous about what would happen now.

"Yes, we have…a date to plan…We will see you lot later." He gave Syria a quick kiss, while Lily gave Hugo a quick hug. As they walked out, they heard Hugo tell Syria,

"I bet they are going to their dorm to snog."

"What are we going to do about this?" Lily asked.

"Well, we can't _tell _them the truth, if that's what you're implying." Sebastian spat.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. But it's not like we can lie to our families either. I have never lied to mine, and they can easily tell when I am lying."

"Potter, anybody with a beating heart can tell when you're lying." Lily chose to ignore him, because as much as she wanted to hex him right now, they really needed to sort this out. "Perhaps, we can just break up after our 'date' this weekend?"

"How will we impress Juniper and Richard then?" Lily pointed out.

"Well, we will just have to pretend with our families too, I suppose." Sebastian said. Lily's face fell. She hated lying to her family, and it wasn't even because she would get caught, it was just the mere principle of things. "Look, I know you aren't happy with this, Potter, but think about it, we will only have to pretend for Christmas eve, right? I will come over with Scorpius to the Burrow, we just have to hold hands and act like a couple for one evening. Then we can correspond a little, it will be fine, trust me."

Lily looked up at the last words he said. He had never said those words to her before, _trust me_, rang in her head over and over.

"All right, I guess that would be fine." She said, nodding her head.

"Now, if you don't mind, we have a date this weekend that we have to plan, am I correct?"

Lily smiled.

"I believe we do, and I have just the thing we need."

"I am two steps ahead of you, Potter. I already have the Map."

Lily stared in shock as Sebastian Malfoy held up the Marauders' Map that her grandfather and his friends had created years ago.

"How did you…?" Lily squeaked.

"I wrote to Albus, and he personally came and delivered it to me yesterday."

"He didn't stop by and ask to see me?"

"It was late at night, Lily. I told him you wouldn't mind waking up, I know how much you miss him. But he insisted that you weren't woken up."

Lily nodded and smiled. That was typical Albus, playful and prankster on the outside, but caring and kind on the inside. But Lily still felt bad that he didn't stop to talk to her.

"Well, since you read my mind about the Map, am I correct in assuming that you know what I intended to do with the Map?"

"If it means 'bumping into' Juniper and Richard accidentally, then I am exactly on the same page as you."

"I like the way you think, Malfoy."

"I like the way _you_ think, Potter."

A/N: I thought this chapter was all right, but it's certainly not my favorite, but I think I will enjoy writing the next chapter, as they go on their 'date'. I shall update next Thursday as promised. Oh, and I was thinking, that once I am done writing the entire story, because I am currently finishing and editing chapter 12, that I will start updating twice a week...I don't know, penny for your thoughts?


	10. The First Date

A/N: Thank you to the alerts, favorites, and readers out there. This story now has over 700 hits and has reached 24 reviews!!!! **A special thank you to OurLoveIsForever, dbgothicprincess, VMsuperfan, bellibella, ceh92, and Kagome Nightmare, my wonderful reviewers. I love you!! This chapter is dedicated to Kagome Nightmare, dbgothicprincess, and OurLoveIsForever, because their reviews always bring a smile to my face:)** So here is chapter 10!

"Potter, will you hurry up? At this rate, we will be wooing Juniper and Richard in our graves, and personally, I don't think they would be impressed by skeletons."

"Don't forget to call me Lily when we are on our 'date'. It's not very gentleman-like to call one's girlfriend by their last names, _Sebastian_." Lily explained as she emerged from her room, emphasizing Malfoy's name.

"Right, well, let's just hurry, I'm sure the rest of the school is already down there. Oh, and you look very good, by the way. Williams won't be able to take his eyes off you." Sebastian said.

"You look quite handsome yourself, Sebastian."

"Shall we go then?"

"Do you have the Map?"

"Got it right here." Sebastian said, waving the Map. Lily nodded and they made their way to Hogsmeade.

* * *

"Thank Merlin they aren't at Madame Puddifoot's. There is hope." Sebastian cried, in joy of course. Lily looked at him, and was reassured that even Mungo's would not be able to help the obviously mentally challenged boy. She rolled her eyes.

"All right, so both of them are in the Three Broomsticks." Lily said, pointing to the two dots labeled Juniper Quasi and Richard Williams.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Sebastian said, leading the way. Upon reaching the pub, he put an arm around Lily and whispered, "Pretend like I'm saying something funny, and laugh."

Lily threw her head back laughed, and Richard turned to look at her. She was dating Malfoy, and Richard felt disappointed. _Damn_, he thought, _I should have asked her out while I had the chance_, _back when it was obvious she liked me._ _Somehow, I never imagined her falling for Malfoy. She always held such dislike for him, or so she said. I should have asked her to be my girlfriend when I had the chance. It's not things will last between her and Malfoy, and then she will come running to me, for comfort. And comfort, I shall._ Richard smirked, looking at what an obvious misfit couple this was. The only daughter of the "Boy Who Lived" and the heir of a family who was probably the most loyal to Voldemort. The entire wizarding world would make a laughingstock of it, and Richard knew, that Lily hated being belittled. And Malfoy seemed to have a knack of doing that, so then why was she dating him? It didn't matter, Richard decided. Lily would come running to him soon enough, once Malfoy broke her heart.

"He looks jealous, Lily. I think it's working." Sebastian said, and when Lily turned to look at him, he grasped her wrist and hissed, "What are you doing? Don't look at him. God, Potter, really, you need to learn these things."

"What things?" Lily said, gritting her teeth.

"Don't give him the attention he obviously wants. Focus on me instead."

"Oh, I think Juniper has that covered, Malfoy. Focusing on you, I mean."

"Take out a mirror, Lily."

"Why?"

"So I can see Juniper's expression." Sebastian drawled, as if it were obvious.

"Why can't you just conjure one?" Lily hissed, striving to keep her voice low.

"Because, it would look odd."

"Malfoy, most of the things you do _are_ odd."

"Lily, sweetheart, please take out a mirror, so that I may see your lovely reflection?" Sebastian cooed, raising his voice, knowing that Lily wouldn't deny him. They were pretending to be the perfect couple after all. Her eyes narrowed, and she thrust the mirror in his hands, choosing to ignore his smirk.

It didn't leave his face, his smirk. He liked Juniper's scrunched up face, disturbed eyes, and unreadable expression. _The wonderful feeling of satisfaction_, he thought.

"So, now that _we _have_ their _attention, what do you want to do, Lily?" Sebastian whispered, resting his hand at the small of Lily's back.

"Well, we should order, don't you think?"

"All right, I will go get us drinks. Butterbeer for you, right?"

"How did you know, Sebastian?" Lily smiled in disbelief. Sure, they had been getting along, but knowing each other's favorites? That seemed…odd.

"You gave a me lecture about it in third year, remember? You went on and on about how it was your favorite. You thought that I drank it, when it was actually Albus who drank your butterbeer?" Lily blushed at the memory, and apologized, saying,

"I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"Anything goes wrong, you always assume, I did it. Oh well, it doesn't matter," Sebastian sighed, waving his hand. "I will go get our drinks. Butterbeer for you, and Firewhiskey for me. I will be right back."

Lily's eyes never left Malfoy as he went up to Rosmerta and ordered the drinks. She watched as he chatted amiably with her for a minute, and then returned with their drinks in hand.

"There you go." Sebastian said, putting Lily's drink in front of her, and leaning to kiss her on the cheek. He lingered, and whispered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to just kiss you, but Quasi and Williams are looking right at us. It was necessary." And Potter surprised him by returning his kiss on her cheek with one of her own on his jaw.

"It's quite alright. I understand." Lily said, winking.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Hugo came by this morning to return the Charms essay you let him borrow. I put it in your bag in your room, while you were in the shower."

"I saw that, thank you, Seb." Lily said, with a smile. "So I heard you gave a poor first year a detention?"

"He's not a bloody poor first year! _He asked her on a date! _A date, Lily! I don't understand why everyone sympathizes with _him_?" Sebastian exclaimed. "Besides, the boy was breaking the rules, and as Head Boy, I am to enforce the rules, thus giving Ungermeyer a detention was necessary." Lily scowled upon hearing this, and said,

"Oh, stuff it, Seb. You just don't want him near your sister. And just because they decided to review for one sodding quiz together doesn't make it a date."

"My sister has nothing to do with this, and even if it does, I have her best intentions at heart." Sebastian said, crossing his arms over his chest. After all, anyone would do the same. John bloody Ungermeyer was disrupting peace and quiet while others were studying in the Common Room. The boy needed to learn how to behave.

"Seb! I was there too, you know. John was only humming the tune to 'Whistle While You Work'. He really didn't do anything wrong. And besides, I don't think Syria was too happy about this."

"He has evil intentions."

"He's eleven, Sebastian."

"Exactly."

"What? Never mind, I don't even want to know what is going on in your head." Lily said, muttering something, although Sebastian was pretty sure he heard the words, 'overprotective' and 'git' somewhere in all her fumbled words.

"Well, so be it." Sebastian huffed, but when Syria's angry face flashed in his head, he said, "What say we go to Honeydukes?"

"You want to butter up your sister, eh?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, you've yet to see her angry. She scares me." Sebastian admitted. Lily laughed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

And both made their way to the most famous confectionary shop in all of Wizarding Britain.

"Well, my father usually buys Syria chocolates, so I may need your help, Lily." Sebastian said, looking at Lily for approval.

"That's absolutely fine, Sebastian."

"All right, well I will go buy her favorites, while you look around to see if there may be anything else she would like." And with that, Sebastian walked off. Lily browsed, and saw that a newer version of Honeydukes famous fudge was available. She tried some, and decided that Syria would probably enjoy it too. She picked a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and some Sugar Quills. She also picked various toffees and chocolates, and she was about to go over to Malfoy when he came over to her himself.

"You picked up Sugar Quills, thank you. Syria loves them, she always eats mine." Malfoy said with a grin. "And the cutest part is, she doesn't think I know she eats them."

"Is there anything about that girl that isn't cute? Your sister is probably the most adorable creature to walk the face of the earth, Sebastian. Anyway, I have the new kind of fudge, some toffees, and lots of chocolates."

"I also have some toffees and chocolates. She really likes Chocolate Frogs, so I picked up as many as I could. I remember her liking Cockroach Clusters, so I got some of those. Oh and I also bought her some Licorice Wands. Do you think it will be enough?"

"I think it will be more than enough, Seb. She probably won't be that mad anyway. She is such a sweet girl."

"That she is. You know, when she was really little, Scorpius and I used to eat her chocolates, and when she would ask why we did so, we would tell her that she was already much too sweet."

"I remember her telling me that." Lily said, reminiscing her little interludes with Syria over the past months.

Pulling out his money for the treats, Sebastian realized that he didn't have enough. He was 13 galleons short. He was about to put some Sugar Quills back, when Lily grabbed his wrist.

"Why are you putting them back?" Lily asked.

"I, er, well…I don't think she will like them."

"But you yourself said, Syria loves Sugar Quills. Come on, it's our turn to pay." Lily said, pulling Sebastian to the counter. When Mrs. Flumes said how much the total was, and Sebastian counted his money, Lily realized why he was putting the Sugar Quills back. "Here you go, the Sugar Quills are on me." She said, with a smile handing him a bag of galleons.

"You don't have to do that, Lily." Sebastian said softly.

"But I want to. After all, I love her too. Of course, not nearly as much as you do, since you are her older brother and all, but I do care about her, Sebastian. Please allow me." Lily protested, widening her eyes for effect.

How the hell was he to say no that face? Sebastian sighed, and let Lily pay for the remaining Sugar Quills. He could deal with swallowing his pride for Syria for once. But only because it was Syria.

After paying for the sweets, Lily and Sebastian left Honeydukes, and Lily asked,

"Where to now, Sebastian?"

"ZONKO"S!!""Malfoy, I am not going into Zonko's."

"Look, Potter. You asked, and I answered. So off to Zonko's!" Malfoy started scurrying, when Lily caught the back of his robe.

"Look up, Sebastian." Impatiently, Sebastian looked up, and saw dark gray clouds. "Looks like we have to cut our trip short, if we don't want to get wet."

"We are wizards, you know. There are simple drying charms that I am sure even you could do. Or perhaps, conjure an umbrella? Stop looking for excuses, Lily. You won't find any."

"Well, it's almost late anway, Malfoy. Can we just head back, please? I promise Zonko's will be the first thing next time."

"Promise?" Sebastian reminded Lily of a child who had just gotten his candy taken away. His eyes were wide, and the blue sparkle emerged more than ever.

"By Merlin. Can we go back now?"

"I suppose." And Lily did a little charm so that the treats for Syria wouldn't get wet in case the rain started before they reached the castle. And sure enough, it started to rain, and Lily and Sebastian hurried to the their dorm. Upon walking in, they saw Syria Malfoy, with her arms crossed, her sweet little face puffed up in anger, and she was currently glaring at her older brother.

"Why did you give a John a detention, Sebby? It's because you don't like him, isn't it? Oh, Sebby, he's a lovely boy. If you would just get to know him."

"I don't like lovely boys."

"But you don't understand, Sebastian. He was the first friend I made here at Hogwarts. Not to mention, he always stood up for me when those rude girls made fun of me for being a Malfoy. But you won't understand obviously… Capricornus."

Again with his bloody first name? Sebastian sighed, cursing the stupid traditions of the Malfoy clan. Was it really necessary to name the children after constellations? Well, it all started with the Black, and his grandmother was a Black by birth. But that wasn't the point. He wasn't sure what to say to Syria, but Lily stepped in, saying,

"Look what your brother got for you, Syria! Toffees, chocolates, fudge, Sugar Quills. All of you favorites. Would you like to take a look?"

Syria peered in the bags, and a smile began to form on her face, but she stopped once she saw her brother grinning at her. Sebastian needed to understand that he wasn't going to completely be forgiven until he apologized to John.

"Sebby, you have to say sorry to John. That's what Daddy taught us, right? If we do something wrong, we need to say sorry." Syria said, her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised.

"Fine, fine. I will say sorry to the ponce-I mean, to the _lovely_ _boy_." Sebastian muttered, Syria had him pretty much wrapped around her little finger. There was nothing he wouldn't do to make his little sister happy.

"Good." Syria nodded, "Now I know I won't be able to eat all these chocolates by myself so what are you waiting for Sebby? Come on, let's dig in!"

Lily smiled as Malfoy seemed more excited than little Syria herself when it came to eating the chocolates. Suddenly, she felt a little tug on her sleeve, and looked down to see little Malfoy.

"You don't have to just stand there. You can join us too, you know." Syria giggled, her eyes big, as if they would cover her whole face, biting her lip. Lily let the little girl pull her, and was surprised when she made Lily sit next to Malfoy. "You two need to get used to this. Especially since you are going to get married." Both Lily and Sebastian choked on their food.

"Syria, baby, Lily and I have only begun, erm, dating. There is no guarantee that we…that we will...get married."

"But you two are just like Scorpius and Rosie! You two are the perfect match. Lily looks at you just like Rosie looks at Scorp. And _you_ talk about her just like Scorp talks about Rosie. And Rosie and Scorp are gonna get married, that's why we had that huge party at our house, remember, Sebby? You two are just being silly." And Syria continued to eat her treats, unaware of how red Lily's and Sebastian's faces were.

A/N: All right, that's chapter ten. I had fun writing it, but it didn't turn out the way I thought it would or the original plan I had for this chapter. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad. You tell me, so until next time, take care! Oh and please leave reviews, I would love it!!


	11. Asking for Favors

A/N: No, no it's not Thursday, but I decided to update twice this week, why? Because next week, I have ORIENTATION!! For college!! Yes, I am super duper excited about that!! :D And I **WILL** update again on Thursday, because I won't be able to update next week, since I will be at orientation. I can't wait for college itself, I really need it!! But that story is for another time, another place. Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, dbgothicprincess, ceh92, Leilalys, bellibella, and Kagome Nightmare who are my wonderful reviewers. This story now has over 850 hits, so thank you to the readers, alerts, and favorites as well. And now to chapter 11:)

After that day in Hogsmeade two weeks ago, rain became a regular occurrence. It was mid-November, and it was cold. It had started to snow a little, and Syria's favorite time of the year. Not to mention it was her birthday in two days. Sebastian had planned a little surprise for her, but it required Potter to cooperate with him, not that he doubted she would. Still, he needed to tell Lily what he had planned so that she would be able to take care of things. And that would require Syria leaving Lily's side, which she never seemed to do. Syria had begun to look up to Lily as an older sister, and while Sebastian thought it was nice of Lily to do so, he didn't want to get Syria's hopes up once he and Lily 'broke up'. Currently the two were outside, playing in the snow, seeing as it was a Sunday, and were obviously enjoying themselves.

Sebastian decided it was enough, since he didn't want Syria to get sick, and this was a good opportunity to talk to Lily about what he had planned for Syria's birthday. He walked out in to the balcony of his dorm, and yelled,

"All right, you two. That's enough. Syria, darling, we can't have you getting sick. It's late anyway. And Lily, I need to speak with you."

The girls nodded and made their way back to the castle. On their way back, Syria said,

"He probably just wants to snog you senseless." Lily was appalled, after all this girl was only eleven. Did she even know what snogging was?

"Syria, I'm sure your brother does not want to snog me senseless." Lily said, wondering where on earth Syria had gotten such an idea.

"But you're dating him!"

"Yes, and? Syria, just because your brother and I are…dating…doesn't mean that we, erm, we…it doesn't mean that we snog…every chance we get." She decided to add that last bit, lest Syria get suspicious.

"But Hugo said that whenever a boyfriend and girlfriend want to 'talk', they actually want to snog." She air quoted. Lily laughed, and replied,

"Syria, love, I tell you this because I care about you. Do not believe everything Hugo says. He is, well for lack of a better word, a bit dense. Things aren't always what he perceives them to be."

"Oh. So you and Sebby aren't going to snog each other now when he says he wants to talk?"

"No, I highly doubt that."

"But Rosie and Scorpius snog each other all the time. I walked in on them, and Scorp wasn't exactly happy. It's not like I was either, it's gross. But I have never seen you two snog."

"Your brother and I…are a little more…shall we say, not so open about our snogging, yeah?"

Syria seemed to be in deep thought, as if contemplating Lily's answer. Finally, she nodded, accepting it and Lily silently thanked Merlin. They walked in silence until the Gryffindor Common Room, Lily bid Syria good-bye, and went on to her own Heads' Dorm. She saw Malfoy on the couch, in deep thought. She sat next to him, and waved in front of his face to get his attention.

"Thinker much?" Lily stated, intrigued.

"I need your help."

"If it involves boosting your mental capabilities, then I'm afraid I can't do anything. Even the Healers at St. Mungo's won't be able to help in that matter." Malfoy bit back his tongue, because if he irked Lily again, she wouldn't help him.

"I need your help, because Syria's birthday is in two days. Scorpius will come and celebrate it with her, as a surprise for her. I asked Dad as well, but…that's none of your business. Anyway, I need you to take care of Head duties by yourself for the while that Scorp is here. Also, I need some help with the House Elves. I want to make sure everything is perfect, since it is her first birthday at Hogwarts. She hasn't had a birthday yet that wasn't celebrated on a grand scale, and this year will be no different. I know it won't be the usual party we throw her, but it will have to do. So I was also wondering if you were willing to help me with things like that. Usually, we have Nicole, one of our House Elves do it, but that won't occur this year for obvious reasons so-"

"Enough of your rambling, Malfoy. I would be happy to help. When is Scorpius coming? I haven't seen him since we all met at the Burrow for Roxy's birthday a week before school."

"He will be here in tomorrow night, so we can wish Syria together in the morning. I already wrote to him." Lily nodded and was about to go the kitchens, when Sebastian said, "I…I know I should have asked you first, but…I really didn't think you would say no." Lily smiled in disbelief, shook her head and said,

"You have nothing to apologize for, Sebastian. I would do anything for Syria. I care about her quite a bit." and was on her way off to the kitchens, but she didn't miss Sebastian whispering,

"Thank you for caring about her like that. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

* * *

"Was this really necessary, Lily?" Sebastian said, referring to the blindfold on his eyes. At the moment, he was slightly regretting getting Lily involved last night with the whole thing but then again, who else would he turn to? "I mean, you could have easily just told me what the House Elves had done. This is a bit ridiculous."

"Yes, this was. Now as much as I _love_ to hear your complaints, would you for the love of Merlin, please shut up?"

"All right, all right. No need to get a temper, Ginger." Malfoy said, smirking.

_Ginger!? He hasn't called me that since bloody fifth year!_, Lily thought. _I was stupid to believe that he got the message that I didn't like being referred to as 'Ginger'._

"Malfoy! How many times have we been over this in the past? I do not enjoy being called 'Ginger'!" Lily seethed. Even with the blindfold on, he knew her eyes had sparks of anger shooting out, and her hair was crackling with energy. Malfoy couldn't help but smile at her. Just because they were friends now didn't mean that he didn't enjoy getting her riled up.

"If you would just look at yourself in a mirror, you would know why I call you 'Ginger'. Besides it suits you, you know with your red hair and all." Sebastian smirked.

There was time to argue later, Lily decided, they had arrived at the kitchens. Lily tickled the pear, and led them both in. Finally, Lily pulled the blindfold off Sebastian's eyes, and he saw a variety of foods in front of him, most of which appeared to be Syria's favorites, and the rest were Scorpius's favorites. Lily grinned seeing Sebastian's expression.

"Oh, wait 'til you see the cake, Seb. You're going to love it so much! It's also Syria's favorite, it's a double chocolate with butter cream icing." And sure enough, it was a beautiful cake.

Sebastian wanted to thank Lily for all that she did, but out came,

"And my favorites, Potter? You didn't seem to take them into account."

"Well, I am sorry, I-" Then Sebastian laughed heartily, at her expression and choked out,

"I am only joshing with you, Lily. Merlin, you should have seen your expression. It was as if someone caught you robbing Gringotts."

Lily felt her face burn with embarrassment.

"Jokes apart, I really do think you outdid yourself today. You and the House Elves. Thank you." Sebastian said, softer. He just couldn't resist teasing her, seeing her face turn red like that, it just amused him so.

"Thank you, now let's head back to our dormitory, and discuss the rest of the plans." Sebastian nodded, and tugged Lily's hand which had been in his the whole time. "On second thought, I have one last thing to tell Rinker. You go ahead, I will join you in a minute." And Lily removed her hand from Sebastian's, and suddenly his hand felt empty. He internally shrugged, and headed to his dormitory.

He went to his room, and stared at his hand that had been in Lily's a few minutes ago. Speaking of Lily, she pranced in the door, and Malfoy quickly tried to act normal.

"So, here is what I have planned. I go in the morning, and tell Syria that you're hurt. She comes in, and we give her a surprise party. You will start by eating breakfast, then you will cut the cake, and then you two will take her to Hogsmeade. Sounds good?"

"Sounds lovely, but I do need one more small favor. I need you to go to Zonko's and pick something up for me. He already knows, I just need you to be there."

"All right. But only this once, you're lucky it's Syria's birthday that day, don't expect this from me every time, Malfoy."

"It's just this once, Lily. I promise. Go to Zonko's and once he sees you, he will give you a note. That is all, and the rest will just be self-explanatory."

Lily nodded, and couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious about Malfoy's actions. Oh well, she would just see for herself tomorrow. As for now, there was quite a bit of homework calling her name.

A/N: So what kind of surprises will come? For that, you will just have to read lol. I can't wait for you guys to read the next chapter! I am so excited! What's that? Oh, you want to make me even happier? Well, just hit the review button and leave a review!!


	12. A Special Gift for a Special Someone

A/N: Chapter 12! Enjoy! Also, a few years after the war, Hogwarts started allowing students of all years to go on Hogsmeade visits on any day, but most still went on weekends due to the workload during the weeks. I tried to incorporate this in dialogue, but it just didn't work out. It felt really awkward, so I dropped the idea all together and decided to put it in the author's note. Thank you to OurLoveIsForever and Cottonpaw for the wonderful reviews! Also thank you to the other people who added this to their alerts, favorites, and such things. Also a huge thank you to all the other readers, because this has over 1,050 hits now!!

"Syria, baby. Wake up."

Syria rubbed her eyes, and saw Lily sitting on her bed, gently nudging her.

"Syria, something has happened to Sebastian, he's hurt-" And Syria jumped out of bed, running out in her nightgown, Lily on her heels. _Wow, for an eleven year old, boy is she fast_, Lily thought, shaking her head inwardly. She sped to the Heads' Dorm, yelling the password, and scaring the poor lady in the portrait.

"SURPRISE!!!" She heard people yell. Standing before her, in a wonderfully decorated room, were Rose, who had recently celebrated her own birthday, Hugo, John, Sebastian, who was perfectly all right, and SCORPIUS!! Suddenly, realization dawned on her, this was for her birthday.

"SCORP!!!!!!" Syria yelled, and happily jumped into her eldest brother's arms. "You came?"

"How could I not? It's my angel's birthday. After all, you only turn twelve once, love. I had to come. It would have been simply unethical, my sweet."

"I love you, Scorpy!" Syria said, giggling, and kissed his cheek.

"As soon as he's around, you always seem to forget me. Ahh, the disadvantages of being the younger older brother." Sebastian sighed, and Syria flopped out of Scorpius's arms and into Sebastian's.

"You know I love you too, Sebby. I just missed Scorpy because I haven't seen him in such a loonnng time. You're special too, though. Daddy says we are all special." Syria said, nodding. "Oh, and thank you for having Scorpius come. It made my birthday super special."

"What about me, Syr? Doesn't your Rosie get a hug?" Rose asked.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, Rosie." And she went over and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek, who in turn kissed Syria's forehead.

"All right, precious. Are you ready to have some breakfast?" And Scorpius and Sebastian stepped aside and Syria's eyes widened at the feast. Cinnamon rolls, biscuits and jelly, hash browns, waffles, pancakes, and the works.

"Wow, these are all my favorites. Oh, and look, scrambled cheesy eggs, their your favorite, aren't they? We haven't those in a while! Thank you, Sebby. This is amazing!" Sebastian looked up after hearing his sister, and sure enough, there were scrambled cheesy eggs, his favorite. He had just been kidding yesterday when he told her that, but…he couldn't ignore the fluttering of his heart when he saw those eggs. _Get a grip, Seb. You're getting excited over a bloody plate of eggs. But it's just because you're hungry. There is no other explanation for it._

"Don't thank me, sweetheart, thank Lily. She is the one who did everything, from the food to the decorations and everything in between." Sebastian murmured, hoping his face didn't gave away his thoughts.

Syria ran to hug Lily, and Lily picked her up and spun her around.

"Thank you, Lilykins. I love it! And I love you!"

"Aww, Syria, I love you too." Lily said, going in for a hug, but Syria pulled away, and ran to Scorpius.

"Did you know, Lily and Seb are gonna get married just like you and Rosie!?" She screamed, her voice overflowing with happiness.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow, and said,

"I think there is a little time before that occurs, love. Right now, it's time for the amazing birthday girl to cut her cake. What do you think?" Syria jumped up and down in glee.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Syria. Happy birthday to you." Everyone sang, as Syria blew out the candles, and cut the cake. She fed a piece to Scorpius and then Sebastian, who then fed her a piece back. Syria wanted to eat more cake, but Scopius and Sebastian said after breakfast.

After breakfast, came the opening of presents and more cake. After that, Rose had to leave, and Hugo went to attend his classes. Lily, Scorpius, and Sebastian stayed with Syria, however.

"Never thought I'd see the day Hugo Weasley attends class while Lily Potter bunks. You're a bad influence on her, Seb." Scorpius exclaimed.

Sebastian snorted, "Hardly."

"So, Ms. Malfoy, do you know what is next on the agenda?" Lily asked,

Syria scrunched her face in deep thought, and said in defeat,

"No, but I know you do since you planned the whole thing!"

"Your brothers are taking you to Hogsmeade!" Syria's eyes, wider than saucers, lit up.

"Really?" She squeaked.

"Yep." Lily nodded.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!!" Syria screamed, tugging on her brothers' arms. Lily giggled, shaking her head at the little girl's eagerness. But somehow Lily understood that Syria wasn't necessarily excited about Hogsmeade, it was the fact that her brothers were there with her; spending time with her brothers made all the difference. _Well, it takes one to know one_, Lily acknowledged.

* * *

Lily made her way to Zonko's to pick up whatever Malfoy needed her to pick up. He was lucky it was Syria's birthday; he needed to learn that this wouldn't be a regular occurrence. She made her way to the counter, and mumbled,

"I'm here to pick up something for Sebastian Malfoy." And the owner, Zonko, handed her a note.

_A note! A bloody note! That's what he wanted me to pick up._ Lily sighed, and was about to leave to give His Highness Mr. I Can't Even Pick Up My Own Notes, when Mr. Zonko said,

"Lily, dear, you're supposed to read the note." Lily hunched her shoulders in defeat, and opened the note. It read, in the impeccable script that could only belong to Sebastian Malfoy,

**Syria's not the only one who will enjoy a day in Hogsmeade with her brothers today.**

And when she looked up, she wondered out loud how fate could possibly be so kind.

"Kind is our middle name." And emerged from behind her two raven haired men, one with the green eyes and glasses that reminded her of her father so much, and the other who shared her brown eyes and smile, inherited from their mother.

"JAMES! ALBUS!!! OH DEAR MERLIN!! WHAT IN HEAVEN'S GOOD NAME ARE YOU DOING HERE??!!!" She screamed and ran to her brothers, both had their arms extended toward her, not worried about the looks people were giving them. It was a group hug of sorts, but the grins were wiped of James and Albus's face once they felt warm tears on their shirts.

"Lils? What happened?" Albus inquired.

"Oh, Al. Our baby flower is just happy to see us is all. Right, Lilykins?" She nodded, still clutching to her brothers tightly. Sure, they annoyed her to end, they picked on her relentlessly, and took advantage of her every chance they got. But she also knew, that no one, not even her own parents, knew her as well as Albus did, and no one cheered her up and made her laugh the way James could.

"I'm just…so happy…missed you so much…" Lily managed to sniffle out. Her brothers just smiled, and James picked her up and twirled her around like always, to cheer her up. Albus kissed her cheek, and tickled her, and finally Lily stopped crying. James sighed,

"Finally. I thought our lovely day was going to just be wasted in getting her to stop crying," Lily glared at him, "but now we can enjoy as we planned. Ready, Albus, Lily?"

"Ready? What do you mean, 'ready', James? Usually, Zonko's is our first stop, you know, whenever we made trips like this before, when you two were still in school." Lily was thoroughly confused. And they were already at Zonko's, she added mentally.

"Ahh, she doesn't understand. Do explain, kind Albus."

"I most certainly shall, kind James." Lily giggled, wondering if they were nineteen and twenty years old, or three and four. "You see, my dear Lily, today will not be what we want to do. Today is about _you_, my dearest flower. Thus, today, you will decide where to go, when to go there, and…I can't think of a third thing to say."

While they said the day was about her, Lily knew that James and Albus didn't outgrow their pranking, so she said,

"Well, I want you guys to buy whatever you like at Zonko's, since we are already here…my treat."

"Have we ever told you much we love you, little sis?" And off her brothers went, as if little children let loose in a candy shop. She wondered what to do, when three people with platinum blonde hair, who had apparently just entered, caught her attention. She walked over to the Malfoys.

Scorpius saw Lily approaching and quickly led Syria to where some bizarre lollipop-like objects were. He had enough sense to leave the two lovebirds alone. He couldn't help but wonder, how it finally happened. Speaking of, James owed him and Albus some money. He strode to them, and immediately saw James wince. Albus grinned, and gave Scorpius a man-hug. James did the same, and reluctantly took out twenty galleons, and split them evenly between the two best friends.

As soon as Scorpius left, Lily gave Sebastian a hug. He was a bit reluctant, but Sebastian returned the hug. But as soon as she pulled away from him, a smile on her face, he missed her being in his arms. _It's her stupid face when she's happy, it glows, and makes your brain go foggy. Come on, focus, Seb._

"Thank you, Sebastian. You have no idea how much that meant to me. I don't know how I would ever be able to return the favor."

"First of all, _I'm _the one returning the favor. This is for being so patient about everything, Head Duties, my duties toward Syria, you helping Syria with her studies, and" he lowered his voice, "our plan." Then talking normally again, he added, "Second, if I had no idea how much this meant to you, I would have never arranged your brothers to come here. You think I don't see the expression on your face every time I'm with Syria? I know you better than you may think, Lily."

Lily was left speechless, and opened and closed her mouth several times, as if trying to say something, yet her mouth betrayed her. Nothing would come out of it. Suddenly, Sebastian Malfoy pulled her flush against him, and Lily almost forgot to breathe. He turned her in his arms, and whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver.

"Look, Albus and Scorpius made a bet against James apparently, about when we would supposedly get together."

Lily's eyes widened and the annoyance that seemed to be ever-existent around her brothers throbbed in her veins.

"James! Al! Scorpius! I know you did not make a bet on my love life!! Right?" Lily demanded, stomping over to her brothers. And suddenly, Scorpius decided that Syria was extremely hungry and a visit to Honeydukes was necessary, and shuffled her and Sebastian out of Zonko's, smirks gracing the faces of all three Malfoys.

"I can't believe you would do that…well, no actually, I am not in the least appalled, but really?" Lily shook her head. _Would they ever grow up?_, she wondered. With Albus and James on either side of her, the three Potters also left the joke shop, making their way to The Three Broomsticks.

"Well, it wasn't really about your love life per say…it was more of who knows you better, me or Albus…right, Al?" James said, poking his brother in the ribs.

"Yeah, that was exactly it…it had nothing to do with the sexual tension between the two of you, or the fact that you were even bigger idiots than Rose and Scorp when it came to how you felt about each other, or that everyone who gives a damn about you was going to come up with some kind of conspiracy in which you two would finally end up together. No, we made the bet so it could be determined who knew you better, me or James." Albus drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You have been around Scorpius too much." Lily stated, and Albus could only grin in response. Lily linked an arm through each of her brothers' and they entered the pub.

Madam Rosmerta exclaimed upon seeing the three of them together, after three year, and immediately made the usuals for all three of them. When they actually made their way to the bar, two butterbeers with shots of firewhiskey, and one full firewhiskey was awaiting the trio.

"Rosey darling!" James said, kissing the older lady on the cheek, and then Albus proceeded to the same. "I see you still remember our usual, but I smell firewhiskey in the butterbeers, I-"

"Oh, surely you don't think I was that daft that I didn't realize that you put a little bit of firewhiskey in your siblings' drinks, hmm?"

"Oh, Rosmerta, love. Nothing gets by you, does it?" James said, as always charming the ladies with his killer smile. Lily and Albus simply shook their heads, although Albus really had no right to. He was quite the lady charmer as well, only he had wooed the ladies with his beautiful emerald eyes.

The three siblings laughed, and made their way to a table.

"So, Mr. Professional Quidditch Player, how are things on the pitch?" Lily asked her eldest brother.

"Lily, it's sad that you don't follow Quidditch, even though I play professionally now." Lily had to snort at this.

"James, I do follow Quidditch, but I also am very busy, and Quidditch isn't exactly my number priority. But…if it makes you happy, I will tell you a secret." and leaning forward, Lily said, "I'm coming to watch you in the world cup next year."

James beamed, and it took all of his self-control not to just shout from the rooftops that his Lily, his little anti-Quidditch flower was coming to support him!

"You always forget me when he's around." Albus said, his eyes darting around the pub, acting annoyed.

"Oh, hush, Al. Really, you should know better than that. How did the practical last week go?"

"I did all right. I just have to work harder than everyone else, since Dad is extra hard on me."

"He just wants you to do well, Al. You know that."

"I know, but sometimes, I just get tired of all these _expectations_." Albus said exasperatedly.

"Oh, don't even get me started on expectations, Al." James said, and before the great debate could erupt between the two about who had more pressure on them, Lily stepped in, ever the mediator.

"Please, you two. Not here. This has been a wonderful day so far, and I don't want your stupid, pointless, ridiculous arguments to ruin it. So please, let go of it for one day, _for me_." Lily emphasized, and that got them to shut up. Lily hated it when they fought about anything, but this argument was really one of the worst. Neither of her brothers seemed to realize that the most pressure was on _her_. After all, she was going to be a Healer, and not follow the professions of either of her parents. But she didn't dare elaborate her fears to her brothers, they just wouldn't understand. Their parents would never be disappointed in James and Albus like they would be with Lily, but Lily didn't want to think about that, lest she start crying. No knew, and no one needed to know. She pushed all her doubts aside, and stood up behind her brothers who paid for the drinks, and walked out. It was getting late, and Lily knew she would have to say good-bye soon. She would see them again soon enough, with Christmas right around the block.

"Well, Lilylove, it's almost time for us to bid you a farewell, but this visit would be incomplete without a trip to the-." Albus said, and Lily and James both knew exactly what he was talking about.

"KITCHENS!!" All three shouted together and as Lily began to run to the castle, James and Albus caught onto her robes, and pulled her back.

"But we are not going back to the castle on foot." Both James and Albus said. Before Lily could ask, they led her to the Shrieking Shack where there was an extra long broom, enough to seat three grown people comfortably and realization dawned on her.

"Oh, dear Merlin. Just like Dad used to do when we were little, enlarge the broom and take all three of us on a ride. You guys thought of everything."

"No, not us. This was all Seb's doing."

"Sebastian? Sebastian Malfoy? Cap-Sebastian Malfoy as in Scorpius's younger brother?"

"Jeez, Lils. Is it that hard to believe?" Albus said coolly. "You seem surprised that he would do something like this. He has proven the depth of his feelings for you, or in my opinion at least." Albus looked to the see the expression on Lily's face and made a mental note to mention it to Scorpius later.

Lily gasped in disbelief. She really had to control herself from snorting and so let out the gasp. Depth, feelings, and Sebastian Malfoy? All in the same sentence? It was…a miracle of sorts, rather unbelievable…But nonetheless, she stepped onto the broom, riding in front with Albus behind her, and James behind Albus. They took their time, flying around the castle, reminiscing about the earlier days, of their childhood, of their times at Hogwarts, their family dinners, about how much their family had grown in the recent years.

"And now, it's complete, with you and Sebastian finally coming to your senses." Lily gagged at Albus's words.

"Oh please, you sound like Syria. She's convinced that Seb and I are going to get married."

"I wouldn't put it past you two." Albus retorted, playing his part well.

"Albus! We have barely been on one date. We aren't even sure we really like each other that much yet, much less have mushy declarations of love." Lily really hoped that people wouldn't expect them to get married. It did nothing to lessen her guilt.

"Sebastian said how wonderful you have been with everything. Lily, Albus is right, you two just don't realize it yet, but you two _are_ perfect for each other. BUT…this doesn't mean that I am giving you permission to shag. There will no shagging of any sort."

"That is absolutely right, James. No shagging until marriage, and even then, you can wait as long as you want, you know, say until you're about fifty or so, Flower." Albus piped up.

Lily giggled. Approval or not, real boyfriend or not, one thing that would never change is how protective her brothers were of her. It was slightly endearing she had to admit, although they both had more than enough moments of being not so endearing. Sighing, Lily got off the broom, and waited as her brothers did the same. They began walking to the kitchens, and arrived quickly because of a shortcut.

"All right, all right. No need to get fussy, Mummies. Seb and I haven't had a proper snog yet, so you don't need to worry." At this, Albus's head, which had been staring at the ground, shot up.

"I just like that kid more and more." James said, obviously happy about how physically far, or lack thereof, Sebastian and Lily had gone.

_If only he knew the truth_, Lily thought. And that guilt that she had about lying to her family remained as she ate the steak. From what James and Albus were saying, everyone in the entire Weasley clan was delighted about her so-called relationship with Sebastian. Before she knew it, it was time for her to say good-bye to her brothers.

"Be good, don't shag Malfoy, stay first in your year, don't shag Malfoy, perform your Head Duties to the best of your abilties, don't shag Malfoy, but have fun and make sure not to be so uptight, and did we mention not to shag Malfoy?" James and Albus said simultaneously.

"You may have dropped a hint or two or blatantly said it about five times, but don't worry, I told you. There will be no shagging." Her brothers grinned, and said the address of their house after throwing Floo Powder in the fireplace in the kitchens on the Floo Network. Lily too made her way back to her dorm, peeking in Sebastian's room when she didn't see anyone in the their Common Room. She found three Malfoys who had fallen asleep on each other. Or more like, Scorpius and Sebastian on either side of Syria, almost like shields. Lily couldn't help but smile. But she was exhausted and tomorrow would be a big day, since she would have to catch up in all of her classes. She changed into shorts and a camisole and went to bed, thinking that this was perhaps the most fun day of her life.

A/N: I loved writing this chapter. It is one of my favorites. I AM SO SORRY IT"S SO LONG!! But I really couldn't help it. I just couldn't stop, and while a lot of it was planned, a lot of this chapter wrote itself…so yeah…please leave a review if I haven't worn you out by the length of this chapter…again, my most humble apologies for the inconvenience…love, MiZZ SaHurr!!


	13. Of Suspicions and Goodbyes

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, Leilalys, bellibella, Cottonpaw, dbgothicprincess, ceh92, and peygoodwin for your wonderful reviews! Here is chapter 13.

Lily woke up to hearing shuffling in her Common Room. She quickly put on a robe, and went to see what the ruckus was. She woke up to see Scorpius and Sebastian having breakfast in their Common Room.

"Leaving already, Scorp?" Lily wondered.

"Yeah, I only had one official day off. I came late the night before Syria's birthday, and had her birthday off, and now I will Floo back to St. Mungo's before my shift starts at nine. I'm glad I came, and thank you for arranging everything on her birthday. Sebastian told me everything. He really-"

"Scorp!" Sebastian said, not wanting his brother to elaborate. He had gotten his dose of embarrassment from his siblings in Hogsmeade yesterday. Syria, well, she really couldn't be blamed, but wasn't Scorpius supposed to be the older, mature, sensible one? But no, he had to join Syria in his teasing. The last he needed was for Lily to ridicule him, he held his head in his hands, waiting for Lily to start laughing and taking the opportunity to poke at him.

"Actually, _he_ deserves _my_ thanks, Scorpius. He arranged for Albus and James to come and spend the day with me. I really am grateful, and I don't know how I will ever be able to repay him for that."

Sebastian looked up, opening his mouth to say something, but Scorpius knew too well what would end up happening.

"Now, now, as a big brother to both of you, I have some advice, and I just- don't roll your eyes at me, you two. Anyway, I was saying that you two shouldn't be competing against one another now. After all, you are dating. I won't deny it, I thought it was all a hoax first, when I got Hugo's owl, but seeing you two now live and really interacting with each other, I believe it. Rose had her doubts, but Albus and I talked to her yesterday, on the Floo, when he and James went home. All four of us, actually, and we just want to say we love you both, and we are really, really, really happy for the both of you."

Lily suddenly found the floor of her Common Room interesting. She really couldn't bear to look at Scorpius, especially when he felt like that, and she knew that the rest of her family felt the same.

Sebastian too couldn't seem to look his older brother in the eye. He recognized the feeling in his gut as guilt, and finally understood the weight what Lily had been telling him all along. They wouldn't be able to face their families after they ended their 'relationship'.

Little did Lily and Sebastian know that their actions were being gauged by Scorpius. All the elders in the family, his father included, had been elated when they got news of Lily and Sebastian's relationship. But he, Al, and Rose knew better. And it seemed like they were right, Albus had talked to him last night, once they were sure everyone was asleep. Apparently, Lily and Seb hadn't even had a proper snog yet. Hah, he and Rose snogged before they actually started dating, and here, Lily and Seb had been supposedly dating for a while, without a proper snog. It wasn't like Sebastian to _not_ snog a girl, especially after dating her for this long. Right away, he knew something was up, and he was glad Rose and Al realized it too. They would soon get to the bottom of this, whatever was going on. When neither seemed to get out of their reverie, Scorpius said,

"Right well, I had better get going." And that seemed to snap both Lily and Sebastian out of their thoughts. "It was good seeing you all, and now I'm about to go tell Syria good-bye. I figured she would be up by now, but-"

"I am up, I am up. No need to kiss me in my sleep." Syria said, rubbing her eyes, smiling at her older brother. "Now we can have a proper good-bye."

"Yes, we can, sweety. Come here." And Syria held her arms out, letting Scorpius pick her up. "Now, I don't want you giving Seb a hard time, focus on your studies, and when they do find out the results, I want you to be first in your year, yes?"

Syria gave one big nod, and hugged her brother tightly.

"Now, _you _listen to _me_. Give my love and regards to Daddy, and tell Rose once again that I said 'Thank you' since she came for my party. Do well at work, please eat on time, and, change your opinion about John. He's my friend." Just mentioning Ungermeyer brought a scowl upon Scorpius's face. Sebastian had mentioned how close the sod was to Syria, and that was the only reason Scorpius didn't kill the wanker. Sebastian had done the right thing by giving the boy detention, no matter how much Rose insisted that is was completely unnecessary. What did she know? All right, so she was Hermione's daughter, and probably the brightest witch Hogwarts had seen since her mum, but still…Sebastian wasn't wrong. Ungermeyer was a bloody nuisance. "Stop thinking about how to kill John, Scorp." His sister's bored voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Syria, I was doing no such thing."

"You can lie to the world, Scorp. Not me." His sister said, peering into his eyes.

"Syria, love, Scorp and I just want the best for you, is all. But we shall discuss more of that during the Christmas holidays. No need for arguments now." Sebastian said, stopping it before Syria threw a tantrum. That was another thing, he was a horrible influence on Syria. She was never like this, but after befriending that boy…that stupid, stupid boy...

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just don't want you to hate my friends. I love all of your friends." Syria said, kissing Scorpius on the cheek, tilting her head sideways.

Scorpius just nuzzled her nose, making her giggle.

"Well, I am late, my shift starts in about ten minutes, so I really need to leave." He gave Lily, Seb, and Syria a quick hug each, threw Floo powder in the fireplace and was off.

"I m-m-miisss h-hhiim already!!!" Syria wailed, burying her face in Sebastian's shoulders. "I tried sss-oo hard-ddd not to c-c-cry when he was leaving, b-b-but…wwahh"

Sebastian picked her up and stroked her hair and back.

"Ssshhh. It's okay, love. We all be together in about a month's time anyway. No need to cry." He sat down on one of the couches as Syria put her arms around his neck. Lily disappeared into her room, and for a moment, Sebastian almost yelled at her. How dare she leave Syria in her time of need? A moment later, however, she came out, with a Sugar Quill in her hand, and handed it to Syria.

"Here, love. This should make you feel better." Lily said, smiling. Syria stopped sniffling immediately, and smiled. Children were so sweet and easy to please.

"Thank you, Lilykins." And Syria reached for a hug, which Lily gladly gave her. Lily sat down with Syria in her lap.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Lily asked, as Syria began sucking on the Sugar Quill. Syria nodded eagerly, and Lily began talking about a Prince and Princess, who loved each other very much. Sebastian zoned out, focusing not on the words being said, but the girl who was saying them. That odd feeling that always rose inside him whenever he saw Lily happy, it intensified by the tenfold. He couldn't believe how much he enjoyed watching his sister and Lily interacting. He didn't know if one could be any happier. He supposed it was because Lily made Syria smile.

_It doesn't matter, Sebastian. Lily isn't really your girlfriend. What matters is if Juniper will be the same way with Syria. __**You know she won't**_, a slightly different voice in his head told him. And the memory of Juniper, earlier in the year, tutoring a younger student flashed in his head.

"_You're not doing it right!" Juniper hissed. The only reason she didn't screech is because they were in the library. This kid was really just trying to figure it out on his own. Sebastian saw that, he had just been rejected again by Juniper, and proceeded to walk out, when he saw a third year walk up to Juniper, asking for her help. Juniper was nice the first few minutes, but immediately grew impatient._

"_Look, Rivers, it's not that bloody hard. It's just asking you about the Summoning Charm."_

"_But, Juniper, I don't want the answers. I want to know how to figure it out." The little boy protested. Huffing, Juniper stalked off, and Seb denied the feeling of disappointment, blaming it on how Juniper must have a hard day. There was no other reason for her to be acting like that. He simply shrugged and walked out of the library._

"Seb? SEBBY? Earth to Sebastian Malfoy!!"

"Yes, Syria?" Sebastian said, giving his full attention to his little sister.

"I have been telling you for the last five minutes, let's go eat breakfast. I'm starving!!" Syria said, tugging on her brother's sleeve. As they made their way outside, Lily was standing, waiting for them.

Sebastian smiled, as Syria left his own hand to go hold Lily's, and the two began talking as if Syria was _Lily's_ sister and not his own. And surprisingly, he never felt jealous of Lily, not for this at least. Every time Scorpius took Syria out or played with her, or anything, Sebastian always felt a very little pinch of jealousy, but with Lily, he felt none. He merely shrugged, yes this was weird, but weird was normal when it came to his relationship with Lily Luna Potter.

A/N: Okay, I like the beginning, and the middle, but the end of the chapter kind of disappointed me. I really wasn't sure how to end it…but whatever. The main point of the chapter was written well, in my opinion, and that is all that I wanted to get across. The rest just sort of came through. Anyway, do leave a review, telling me what you think! I would highly appreciate it!! And I know today isn't my normal day to update, but I felt bad since I haven't updated in such a long time. I will also update tomorrow since it is my regular day to update:) Reviews = LOVE!! So do leave one, pretty please with cherries on top?


	14. In the Moment

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, Leilalys, bellibella, ceh92, dbgothicprincess, and Calcetera for the wonderful and encouraging reviews. Also thank you to those who have added this story to their alerts and/or favorites. This story has over 1,700 hits now and 45 reviews! That really makes me happy!! Thank you so much everyone. Now onto chapter 14.

"Are you excited, Syria?" Lily asked, fully knowing the answer. Currently, she was in Syria's room, helping the little girl finish packing for the Christmas holidays. As always, Lily had done finished her packing the earlier part of the week. Syria, however, seemed to be following exactly in her brothers' footsteps, since she didn't decide to pack until this morning, which would be all right, if only the train weren't leaving in an hour.

"Excited? I can't bloody wait…excuse me for my language. Daddy says 'bloody' is a bad word, that young girls like me shouldn't use. Scorpius and Sebby don't care though." Syria said, shrugging at the last part.

"Well, here are the last bit of your clothes. I think that's it, really. Do you think you need anything else?"

Syria looked around, and then in her bag. She kept checking things off, although if someone would have walked in, they would have thought she was mad or something, talking to herself like that.

"Nope, I think we have got it all. Thank you for helping me, Lils." Syria said, smiling, her bright blues eyes shining.

"You ready to go? They have probably already started boarding." Lily added briskly. Syria nodded. Lily Potter meant nothing if not business, and Syria knew that.

Lily and Syria decided to take a short cut to Hogsmeade. When they arrived, they saw Sebastian was already waiting for them. He was about to pick up Lily's and Syria's things when Lily stopped him, put her lips to his ear, and breathed out,

"Hang on, I think Juniper should be coming in a few minutes. This is a perfect opportunity to impress her. I saw her on my way down here, but Syria and I took a short cut because I didn't want to be late."

"Actually, you just wanted to be early, Lily." Sebastian said, smirking. Lily laughed and nodded, wondering how the boy knew her so well.

"You were right. Juniper is approaching. Time for action." Sebastian said, reaching first for Lily's trunk. "I'm going to put it in our Heads' Compartment, yeah?"

"Yeah, that's fine. And since it would be easier, just put Syria's stuff in there as well. That way, we don't have to go looking for it, and she won't worry about it either. You know what I mean?"

"I'm glad you said that, I was going suggest the same thing, to tell you the truth."

"You two read each others' minds. Just like Rose and Scorpy!" Syria giggled.

"Hi, Syria! Let's go and find a compartment to sit, before everyone takes all the good ones." John exclaimed, coming out of nowhere.

"Syria, I thought you were going to sit with us, in the Heads' Compartment?" Sebastian asked, flabbergasted. Suddenly, Syria looked at the ground.

"Well, I thought you and Lily would like some time alone, so I told John I would sit with him on the train."

"Syria, Lily and I live together! We wouldn't mind if you sat with us." Sebastian said, kneeling down to look into his sister's eyes.

"Well, how I was supposed to know, Sebby?" Syria mumbled, biting her lip. The truth was she wanted to go sit with John too, but she knew her brother wouldn't like that.

Sebastian pulled his sister in a hug and sighed.

"How about you sit with John first and then come join me and Lily, is that all right?" Syria grinned from ear to ear, and gave her brother another hug.

"Yay!! John, let's go." Syria said, clasping John's hand in hers, and Lily had to hold Sebastian back from strangling him. He almost began hyperventilating. _They were holding hands._

"Seb, it's all right. How about you just go put our trunks in our compartment?" Lily requested, rubbing his back, in hopes that Sebastian would calm down. He resembled an angry bull, ready to attack. "Here, how about I pick up mine, and you get yours and Syria's things? Then we can come back and get the owls."

"No, no, it's all right. I will make multiple trip trips, these aren't exactly light trunks." Sebastian said, grinning. He picked up his sister's and _girlfriend's_ trunks, and put them in the Heads' Compartment. He came back, and picked up a trunk in one hand, and Syria's owl in its cage in the other. He made a third and final trip, and came to talk to Lily. "That's it. Shall we?" Seb asked, bowing slightly, extending his hand. Lily giggled, and put her hand in his, walking onto the train.

Juniper was standing right behind them, smiling the entire time. _Who would have thought, arrogant, flamboyant, flirtatious playboy, Sebastian Malfoy, actually had the balls to be nice? But then again, Lily Potter did bring out the best in Sebastian Malfoy_, she mused. It was something Juniper noticed over the years. Every time they were paired for an assignment, or had to duel each other in DADA, or most recent yet, Malfoy as Head Boy, no one affected Malfoy like Potter, and no wonder everyone liked them together-romantically, or otherwise. They just complimented each other. Juniper decided to go back to the castle.

* * *

What Juniper hadn't noticed was that Lily had been observing her the whole time. She saw the smile on Juniper's face.

"Sebastian, Juniper seemed quite impressed with you back there, although after that, she went back to the castle it looked like."

Juniper? Sebastian had forgotten that she had been standing there, but that was good. Juniper needed to see the different side of him, only then would she be impressed, and realized she was his perfect match.

"Well, that's nice. It means our plan is working out well enough, right? Well, I promised Hugo I would play chess with him. So I'll be off. Have fun reading, but don't read too much now, you get a headache from too much reading. I don't want to be the one to deal with your grumpy mood. I will see you later, Lily."

"All right, Seb. See you later." Lily waved, smiling at Sebastian's true words. She would get a headache if she read too much.

* * *

"One of these days, I am going to beat your cousin at chess. Just you watch, Lily." Lily looked up to see Sebastian, walking into their compartment, sitting across from her. A smile automatically graced her face, as she set her book down.

"Sometimes, I think he is better than Uncle Ron." Lily said, laughing. "And that's where Hugo got his skills from."

"Right, well, I will beat him someday." Sebastian snorted.

"Yeah, well, the day you beat him is the day you will marry me, Sebastian."

"Don't say things you don't mean, Lils. What if I hold you to that?" Sebastian grinned.

"What makes you think I don't mean it, Seb? And I expect you to hold to your word. You're a Malfoy, after all, chivalry was defined by your very family."

To this, Sebastian snorted. Sure, they had been glorious in the earlier years, and everyone respected and revered the Malfoy name. But after the war, it was like a curse. One that followed him, no matter where he went, what he did, when he did it. It had been twenty five years since Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, and very few were truly aware of how families of former Death Eaters were treated. Lily had no idea, she was a Potter after all. They were royalty to the wizarding world. People kissed the ground Harry Potter walked on. However, even with all the constant attention the media gave the Potter family, they were some of the most friendly and down to earth people Sebastian had come across. Well, now that he thought about it, the entire Weasley family was like that. He hung his head in shame, he fully knew how his father had treated the Weasley family earlier, and when his so-called friends turned their back on him and his family, it was in Albus Potter and Hugo Weasley that Draco's sons found their best mates.

"You all right there, Seb? You seem lost in deep thought…is everything okay?" Lily worried. What she had said was in light. She didn't mean to offend him in any way.

"No, don't worry about it, Lily. I was just thinking about…the past." Sebastian said, and Lily noticed his shoulders were slumped, as if he were really tired. Lily's eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

"You seem tired, Seb. Perhaps you should sleep the rest of the way, we have a long journey ahead of us, till we reach King's Cross."

"Thank you." Sebastian stated simply.

"Oh you're welcome. There is really no need to thank me, I was just-"

"I'm not talking about the suggestion that I go to sleep, although that does sound wonderful. I meant thank you for never making fun of me, of who I am."

"Err, as much as I wouldn't like to remind you, Seb, but before this year, we really didn't get along. I hexed you every time you insulted me. I don't under-"

"Not that, that was just banter between us. I meant thank you for never bringing up the fact that I am a former Death Eater's son. That my father almost killed someone. That I don't honestly know why I am in Gryffindor, when clearly everyone thinks that Scorp, Syria, and myself were meant for Slytherin."

Lily felt tears well up. She sniffled.

"That…that…was so…touching, Sebastian. I really never knew how bad…But as to why I never brought those things up, it's because they aren't true at all. Sebastian, your father changed after the war, anyone can see that. As for your father's past, he did what he had to in order to protect his family. I would have done the same in a heartbeat, and so would have anyone who cares about their family. Most people are just too coward to admit it. The fact that you all are in Gryffindor itself proves that your father raised you and your siblings with right ideals. Sebastian, there is no need for you to feel ashamed, about yourself, your father, your name. If anything, be proud. It's not easy to do what your father did. Being at the top is easy. Falling from the top is even easier. But being on top, falling down, and then rising again, that is what defines strength." Lily walked over, sitting next to Sebastian, taking his jaw in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. She wanted to tell him more, but forgot all coherent thought as she looked into his eyes, seeing all the pain.

_He has a slight_ _stubble_, Lily mused. His gray eyes bore into her brown ones. A current was passing through them it seemed. His hand moved of its own accord to lay on Lily's shoulder. Sebastian couldn't find it in himself to tear his eyes away from hers, her gaze was so intense. His brain fogged over, more than it usually did. She ran her thumb along his jaw, leaving a tingly feeling.

"Lily." Sebastian breathed, his breath mingling against her own. _Peppermint, with a hint of vanilla_, Lily thought.

Their faces were centimeters apart. Lily's eyes closed halfway, and she could feel Sebastian drawing nearer…

A/N: And a cliffy!! I know you hate them, I hate them too…and thus, you probably hate me, but this chapter was getting kinda long…well, I guess I could have continued it if I wanted but I am just cruel like that. Hehe, leave a review, telling me what you think happened. I love reviews. And if I get enough of them, then maybe I will just update tomorrow…so, leave a review…it really is in your best interest…


	15. Snapping Out of The Moment

A/N: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, dbgothicprincess, Cottonpaw Leilalys, merkandtwisty, PINKandBROWN22, RandomnessUnleased, Vmsuperfan, NJSparty, ceh92, Calcetera, Annoyed, Faerie0975 and Fostofina for their amazing reviews. This is THE MOST REVIEWS I HAVE RECEIVED FOR ANY CHAPTER in ANY OF MY STORIES! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Yay! Over 2,100 hits and 73 reviews! Thank you so much readers and reviewers!! Also thank you to the people who added this to their alerts, favorites, and such, you are too wonderful! This chapter is dedicated to merkandtwisty, for leaving a review for each and every chaper even she just started reading this story, so thank you! This is chapter 15, but a quick review of chapter 14 is in italics.

_His gray eyes bore into her brown ones. His hand moved of its own accord to lay on Lily's upper arm. Sebastian couldn't find it in himself to tear his eyes away from hers, her gaze was so intense. She ran her thumb along his jaw, leaving a tingly feeling. _

"_Lily." Sebastian breathed, his breath mingling against her mouth. _**Peppermint, with a hint of vanilla**_, Lily thought._

_Lily's eyes closed halfway, and she could feel Sebastian drawing nearer…_

His lips were millimeters from Lily's, and were preparing to close the minimal distance, when Hugo burst through the door. Immediately, Lily and Sebastian sprang apart, refusing to look at each other. Hugo scratched his head, and shrugged. Lily got up and walked back to her original spot.

"Hey mates. I was getting bored back there, so thought I would come over here. Has the trolley come by yet?"

Lily laughed, and felt the tension leave from her body.

"No, no it hasn't, not yet, Hugo. But I think it will be here soon enough."

"Oh, all right. Well, anyone up for some Exploding Snap-oh, here's the trolley." Hugo beamed.

Lily and Sebastian both laughed as Hugo piled on the treats, and once again their eyes met. And yet once again, they looked away abruptly, instead focusing on Hugo. Lily reached over to pick a Chocolate Frog, and Sebastian did the same, their hands touching, and instantly, each pulled back. Hugo, thankfully didn't notice, being so wrapped up in his food. Not that he would have anyway, since he wasn't what most would call…perceptive. But everyone loved him nonetheless.

Hugo opened his mouth to talk, but before he could, Lily said,

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Hugh."

The awkward silence between Lily and Sebastian didn't seem to cease. Hugo took out his cards to begin a game of Exploding Snap.

"Seb, you up for this mate?"

Sebastian nodded, and proceeded to play with his best mate. At that very moment, Syria came in the door, hopped onto her brother's lap. Sebastian shifted so that Syria could settle, and be more comfortable.

"Hey, can we talk, Seb?" Syria asked, her older brother, her eyes full of concern, wide and questioning.

"Yeah, Syria, how about we do that? I need to clear my head anyway. Really, clear my head." Syria stood up, and offered her hand and a smile, which brought one on Sebastian's own, and they left the compartment.

Hugo began to talk to Lily about something, but her eyes never left Malfoy as he exited the compartment with his sister. _Would things be awkward between us now?_ Lily wasn't sure what to think. It was a moment, and that moment had passed.

* * *

"So, care to tell me what's bothering you?" Syria asked her brother, once they found an empty compartment.

"Me? You're the one who wanted to talk." Sebastian shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're the one who wanted to clear your head." Syria piped up.

"Yeah, but this was your idea." Sebastian threw back. Sticking his tongue out at her.

"Yeah, but only because you seemed tense." Syria answered back, smirking. _Perhaps Dad was right_, Sebastian thought, _Scorpius and I really __**are **__a bad influence on her_. "So, tell me, what's wrong?"

_I can't really tell her what really happened, but I think, whatever happened, or didn't happen rather, was just in the moment. It's not that big of a deal._

"Well, nothing really, I just had my mind on some things, but I'm alright now. Let's go back. I'm glad we talked."

"But we didn't even talk! You're not getting away with this, mister!" Syria said, one hand on her hip, wagging her finger at her brother. Sebastian picked his sister up, and blew a raspberry in her neck, causing her to giggle.

"Well, I'm letting you get away with it this time, whatever you're hiding from me. Only because you didn't give me that bullocks about 'you're too young, you won't understand'. But don't think this is over." Syria said, looking at her brother, who just couldn't seem to stop laughing. Syria just shook her head and sighed.

Walking into the compartment, Sebastian opened his mouth to say something, but instead heard Hugo's voice.

"Oye! Well, you're back now, so I will leave Lily and you alone. Rose always got mad whenever I interrupted her and Scorpius and despite what she says, I do not screw everything up. So, Syria and I are just going to leave, give you two lovebirds some time alone." Hugo said, with a grin.

Lily was silently pleading with Hugo and Syria not to go, but alas, when do silent pleas ever work?

Sebastian sat across from her like earlier.

"So we will arrive soon, in about an hour, if I am not mistaken."

Lily still refused to look at him. She merely nodded.

"Look Lily, what happened was just in the moment. There's no need for it to be this awkward, and we especially can't have that, since we have to put up the facade in front of our families. Let's just forget it, yeah?"

Lily visibly relaxed. _He's right, it had just happened in the moment._ So then why did it keep replaying it in her head? She shook her head inwardly, and said,

"You're absolutely right. It just…happened. It didn't mean anything."

"Of course not." Sebastian replied, but was he trying to convince Lily or himself?

* * *

They pulled into King's Cross, and Sebastian proceeded to gather his things, Syria's things, and Lily's things.

"All right, we ready to put on a show for them?" Sebastian sighed.

"It doesn't matter whether we are ready or not. We still have to do it." Lily shrugged. Sebastian nodded, and as the train came to a halt, he threw his and Syria's stuff down, yet gently laid Lily's. He jumped off the train, helping Lily and then Syria. He looked around and spotted Rose, Scorpius, and Draco. He walked right over to them, motioning for Lily and Syria to follow him.

"Never thought I would see the day, considering you two are so much more difficult than Rose and Scorpius. But I can't say I'm not happy. Really, Lily dear, I knew from the minute I saw you that you would be the perfect girl for my Sebastian." Lily turned red, the guilt really getting to her.

"Well, Mr. Malf-"

"Oh, no dear, it's not Mr. Malfoy. You can call me Dad, just like Rosie does, or Draco if that makes you more comfortable. You're a part of the family now after all, no need for formalities."

Lily beamed. This was the Draco Malfoy people claimed to be so cruel? Lily wasn't naïve enough to think that such a side of Draco Malfoy never existed but people really needed to let go of the past. She reached over and gave Draco a hug, ignoring the stares that people shot at her.

"Just like Rose this one." Draco said, looking fondly at Rose and Scorpius. Those two however, found something suspicious. Lily could tell by their faces, and when she looked at Sebastian, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Daddy, now I know you're excited that Lily and Sebby are finally dating, but I'm here too, you know?" Syria said, her face scrunched up in mock jealousy.

"Of course, of course, how could I forget my little angel?" Draco said, picking up his daughter.

"Oh look, Lily. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are here, and I see Mum and Dad."

Draco and Syria went to their car, while the rest proceeded to meet with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Hugo was already standing with them. Lily ran and hugged her father. Rose and Scorpius started talking to Ron and Hermione.

"Daddy!" Harry released his daughter, and shook Sebastian's hand.

"I'm so glad you two finally worked out your differences. I really can't tell you how happy Ginny and I are for the both of you. Sebastian, I know you will take care of my little girl, and we wish you all the best." Ginny gave Lily a kiss on the forehead and Sebastian a hug.

"I, for one, am extremely excited. Scorpius is such a good lad, and I know Seb is wonderful too." Ron said proudly, clapping Sebastian on the back. Sebastian gulped, and Lily knew he was nervous. And for some reason, Albus was looking at the both of them in a peculiar manner, just like Rose and Scorpius had done. At least James was normal, as he gave Lily a bear hug.

"Dad, did you know that Sebastian is the only one who hasn't gotten our 'Hurt our Flower and you will be maimed' speech yet? This was meant to be, after all." James said, giving Sebastian a man-hug.

"Umm, I think you all are just embarrassing Sebastian-"

"Nonsense!" Ron exclaimed, "Scorpius got the same treatment, didn't he?"

"Actually, you threatened to burn Scorpius's privates off when he stepped off the train, remember?" Hermione reminded her husband, causing Scorpius and all the other males to flinch at her words. Rose and Lily just giggled.

"Right well, I think Lily is right, and you lot are just embarrassing the poor boy. Also we need to go to the car and, er, rest or something. So we will be off." Both the Weasley and Potter families proceeded to leave, with only Rose, Scorpius, Lily and Sebastian behind despite the latter "couple's" resistance.

Rose gave Scorpius a good-bye hug, obviously engrossed in each other.

"All right, well, good-bye, Seb." Lily said.

"Good-bye, Lily." Sebastian replied, nodding.

"Aren't you two going to hug?" Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, they are, Scorp. Don't be silly, right guys?"

Sebastian extended his arm, thinking about how this was the most awkward moment of his life. But when Lily came into his arms, it didn't feel awkward at all. In fact, it felt…right. And as soon as she pulled back, Sebastian couldn't help but feel empty. Lily looked at him, and he just looked back at her. He felt that current from earlier on the train, and his brother's voice brought him out of his trance.

"Sebastian, let's go, mate. Dad and Syr are waiting for us." Sebastian nodded, and Rose tugged Lily away after they all crossed the barrier.

Lily looked back as she walked with Rose, and saw Sebastian engrossed in a conversation with Scorpius as they were walking. She turned to listen to Rose began talking about her promotion at work.

Right at that moment, Sebastian turned to look at Lily, who was heading over to her family with Rose. Sebastian shook his head, and walked over to his father and sister.

Deciding to look back one last time, Lily and Seb both turned at the same time. Each grinned at waved back at the other, and got in their cars with their respective families.

A/N: Filmy much? Yes, I thought so, but I couldn't stop myself from writing it like this, honestly. Also, I know Syria seems slightly OOC but in her defense, she is really wiser than beyond her years, when she wants to be that is…She just enjoys acting like a little kid and being spoiled. Now, these next few chapters are going to be immensely important. They are HUGE to this story, and I only hope I can do justice. And what didn't happen in this chapter, might just happen in chapter 21...so keep your eyes open people=)! Also, I noticed I have some anonymous readers, so I would just like to tell them that I update every Thursday, and once I finish writing the story I will start updating twice a week. Thank you for reading, and do leave a review, please, it would make my day!!


	16. A Christmas Surprise

**A/N: This is chapter 16. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED AND INSPIRED BY OurLoveIsForever. If wasn't for her stories, Abaddon's Brother and Dose of Your Own then this and Draco/Astoria element wouldn't have the drama they do. I didn't really care about the Draco/Astoria pairing, mainly because I had never really heard much about Astoria Greengrass. But reading OurLoveIsForever's stories about a few months ago really shaped this and some of the later chapters, and if I had continued the plot I originally had in my mind, then perhaps it wouldn't have had the impact on the story that this and some of the chapters will. So any and all praise for this chapter goes to OurLoveIsForever, and if you haven't already, go check out her stories. Also, many of you may feel that Draco is OOC here, but heartbreak does change a man, is all I can say. Not to mention, he and Astoria…well, that's just a whole new ball game. I only hope I can't disappoint, although, I fear I may… **Now for my thank yous: Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, (OF COURSE), merkandtwisty, Faerie0975, Cottonpaw, bellibella, ANONYMOUS, ceh92, and creative-writing-girl13 for the remarkable and wondrous reviews. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be continuing this story. Thank you so much! 83 REVIEWS!!! THAT'S THE MOST REVIEWS I HAVE FOR ANY STORY!!!! I also wish to thank the alerts and favorites this story has, and also the other readers out there. So this is update for OurLoveIsForever, because without her support from the beginning until, and what I hope will be until the end, this story would have been very bland, very bland indeed. So this is my way of saying thank you to her. Thank you, for being so supportive, and I wish you the very best luck in all that you do. Thank you so much.

On the drive home, Syria just couldn't stop talking about Hogwarts, her classes, her friends, especially John. Needless to say, Scorpius and Sebastian weren't exactly happy. And from Draco's expression, he was…amused, and slightly terrified.

"And this John, is he cute?'

"Daddy! That's not the point." Syria blushed.

"She's blushing, look at her, she's blushing!" Sebastian exclaimed, and Syria shot him a look.

"Of course, she's going to blush. She's in love with John, Seb." Scorpius said, and Syria gasped.

"Daddy, tell them to leave me alone." Syria wailed. "They are being mean." She gave a pout.

"Be nice to your sister, boys." Draco said, thoroughly amused with his children's reactions. He had heard all about this from Sebastian through letters, and had already told Seb to keep an eye on his sister.

"Oh, trust me, we _are_ being nice, Dad." Scorpius and Sebastian drawled at the same time.

Syria just crossed her arms across her chest, and huffed.

"So, how did things exactly get started with you and Lily, Seb?" Draco asked his son, wondering how his son finally came to his senses.

"Yeah, Sebastian, pray tell, how did this happen?" Scorpius said, his eyebrows raised.

"Er, well, you know, she is Head Girl, and we just spent time together, and well, we just, you know, got to know each other. So, you know, we became sort of friends, I guess, and well, you know, now we are, erm, dating." Sebastian said, rubbing the back of his neck. When he noticed Scorpius looking at him, he gave his brother a small smile.

"Yes, Daddy, Lily and Sebby are going to get married." Syria shouted, obviously excited.

"Syria, love, I think you're mistaken, Rose and Scorpius are the ones getting married. They are the ones engaged. Lily and Seb have a while for that, love. Actually, now that I think about it, even Rose and Scorpius have a while until they get married."

"But Daddy, you haven't seen them! They are going to get married, I'm telling you."

"All right, all right, Syria, if you say so." Draco humored his daughter.

"Thank you." Syria said, while her brothers rolled their eyes.

They arrived at Malfoy Manor, and immediately, house elves came out, to take their things. Draco went ahead, talking to Ramsey, one of their house elves, about something, leaving his three children to drabble.

"Thank Merlin Rose isn't here." Scorpius said, and Sebastian couldn't agree more. If she had been, they would have been running for their lives right now in order to be saved from her lectures about the treatment of house elves. People thought Hermione Granger was bad, but Rose Weasley took S.P.E.W. to a whole other level.

"Do you think she will even allow their usage once you two are married?"

"I think she will…she hasn't done anything to the Potter's house elf, Kreacher. Although, I do remember Albus telling me once that she had a rag in her hand while she talked to him and he almost killed himself. He didn't stop crying for days. She knows they have been in our family for a long time. So she wouldn't _not_ allow them, but I wouldn't put it past her to pay them five galleons an hour or something."

Both Malfoy brothers laughed, and Syria put a hand in either of her brothers' hands.

"You're not being nice, you know. I, for one, think it is very noble what Rosie is doing."

"Oh dear, she's brainwashed you too, hasn't she, love? I have been in love with her for the past eight years, and _I've _still held my ground." Scorpius boasted.

"But I thought you two started dating when you were in your sixth year at Hogwarts?" Syria said, obviously confused.

Sebastian snorted.

"Yes, Syria, that's when they started 'dating', but they go back before that. Scorpius always had a stroke anytime Rose would talk to anyone else. That's why he always teased her, so that she would pay attention to him."

"Oh…so, it that why _you _always picked on _Lily_? Because you liked her?." Syria asked, pointedly looking in Sebastian's direction, smirking.

"Oh please, hardly. Rose was much more different than Lily. Her and I are completely different. So, will you please stop comparing me and Lily to Rose and Scorpius?"

Scorpius was intrigued by his brother's response. It only made him more suspicious, he really needed to find out what going on between his brother and Lily. Shaking his head, he walked into his house, with his two siblings. He stopped dead in his tracks. He saw his father standing in the living room, his hands clasped behind his back. And on the couch sat,

Astoria Greengrass Malfoy.

Their mother.

* * *

"Scorpius, take your brother and sister upstairs." Draco stated sharply.

"Who's the pretty lady?" Syria asked, as her brothers dragged her to her room. "I wanna know…no one tells me _anything._"

As they made it to Syria's room, Sebastian gave Scorpius a look, and the latter nodded. Syria was well aware of the silent conversation between her brothers, but knew it was in her best interests to pretend like she was busy playing with her dolls.

"That's Mama, isn't it?" She suddenly asked.

Syria's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and the silence answered her question. She nodded in understanding. She didn't remember much of her mother. She was never exactly part of the family. The only real family she knew was Draco, Scorpius, and Sebastian. It was like Astoria had never been there.

Sebastian and Scorpius's throats went dry immediately, not knowing what to say. Syria had barely been three, and it wasn't like Astoria had been much of a mother. The affection that Sebastian that seen Ginny shower on Albus and James, or the love that Hermione gave Hugo, Sebastian never remembered receiving any of that from his mother. She hugged Scorpius from time to time, but Sebastian and Syria never got a kiss or anything. Even that night when she left…he chose not to remember it. It would just upset him. She left them, she abandoned her family.

"You all right, mate?" Scorpius asked his younger brother, who was obviously fighting back his tears. Sebastian didn't answer, and Scorpius nodded.

* * *

Neither of the Malfoy boys were actually aware of how much times had passed. They knew their parents were arguing, but at least they had the decency to silence the area around them. Draco knocked on the door, a distant look on his face.

"Your mother and I need to…we need to discuss some issues. There are many things that are still unresolved. S-"

"THERE ARE NO ISSUES, DAD!!!!!!!! She left us! There is nothing to be discussed. That fucking whore!"

Draco raised his hand to slap Sebastian, enraged, but Scorpius stopped him.

"Sebastian! Will you please at least mind your language, your twelve year old sister is right there! Anyway, as I was saying, I think it would be best if you children would possibly spend your vacation elsewhere. I know we planned on making this an unforgettable Christmas-"

"Unforgettable indeed." Sebastian muttered, and Scorpius told him to mind it, and motioned for Draco to continue.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," glaring at his younger son, "and I think it would be best if…perhaps you children weren't here while your mother is here. I know you two would be fine, Sebastian and Scorpius, but I do not want my little Syria around all this. Maybe if the Potters or the Weasleys would be so inclined…"

" I will talk to Rose right away." Scorpius said, dragging Syria along with him. She turned to give Sebastian one last look, her eyes moistened with tears threatening to fall. Sebastian turned his back to his dad, and said,

"Dad, I just don't…I don't want you to get hurt. Please, just…she left us, Syria was only three, I was only nine, and Scorp was only eleven. Dad, what could she possibly want now?"

"Sebastian, I know how you feel. But I have seen a lot in my life, son. Trust me, I think it will be best if your mother and I try to work things out. Sebastian, you don't even know the whole story, so it would be best to keep your mouth shut, and simply do as I ask…because, believe me, you know _nothing_."

"I really don't want to talk about this anymore, Dad." Sebastian muttered, shaking his head, trying his level best not to cry for his father. He couldn't take it anymore, he decided. He was just about to walk out when Scorpius and Syria emerged again, with House Elves holding trunks in their hands.

"I talked to Rose and Albus, Hermione's parents are ill, so we will be staying with the Potters, since Hermione and Ron are at Hermione's parents' place. I have already had the House Elves pack your things, and now they will get Syria's. Dad, you will write to me, yes?" Scorpius said.

"Yes, I surely will, son. Syria, love, how about you tell Tuti what you want to take on the trip, while I wait for you outside with your brothers?"

Syria nodded, knowing her brothers needed time with her dad.

"Scorpius and Sebastian, I know the both of you already know this, but I will still say it, make sure not to bring this up with Syria. I don't want her worrying, because you know how curious she is. So do whatever it takes, but I don't either of you to discuss this topic with her. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Dad." Both sons nodded.

Syria came out, with the House Elves, all ready to go.

"Now, that everything is finalized, are you ready to go children?'

Scorpius nodded for the lot of them, and Draco said,

"Good."

As they descended down the stairs, Astoria's eyes darted towards her three children, and Sebastian was taken aback. They weren't the dead eyes he associate with that beautiful face, no there was certainly an emotion in them. An emotion alien to his mother's personality. An emotion he knew Astoria wasn't capable of. _You're just imagining things. People don't really change, you know that_, he told himself, shaking his head, as if trying to deny what was in front of him.

"Well, we will take your leave now, Dad…Astoria." Scorpius said, almost regretting his own words. He had tried, he really wanted to call her Mum, but…things really needed to be set straight first.

It had gone better than Astoria planned. After all, she wasn't expecting them to welcome her back with open arms. But she knew what she wanted in life now, and she had made up her mind. She wouldn't budge from her decision. She knew Draco, her husband would accept her, he loved her too much. Draco, the father of her children, however, _he_ would need some convincing. Only after Draco the father was convinced, would his children be convinced. It would take time, eight years worth of pain wouldn't go away in eight days. But she wasn't in Slytherin for nothing, she knew how to get what she wanted, what was hers to begin with.

However, little Syria surprised everyone when she said,

"I hope you come back, Mama. I miss you, and I know Daddy, Scorpy, and Sebby do too. They just don't show it, but they do love you. We all love you. Bye, Mama. I love you." She left her brothers' sides, and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Let's go now, Syria. We need to leave." Sebastian said, tearing Syria apart from Astoria.

* * *

The Malfoy children had been halfway through their journey without uttering a word, when Syria Malfoy broke the silence yet again.

"It's my fault, isn't it?"

"NO!" Scorpius and Sebastian said at the same time.

"She didn't want to leave until after I was born. Everything was fine, until I came along. I'm sorry, Scorpy. I'm sorry, Sebby. I'm sorry." Syria let out, breaking into sobs. Scorpius and Sebastian couldn't hide their own tears either.

"Princess, it's not your fault. Never, ever think again. You had nothing to do with this. You are the best thing _any_ of us could ask for, all right? There is no reason you should feel this way at all. I do not want you blaming yourself again, please, love. Don't ever feel like any of this is your fault." Scorpius croaked out.

"Syria, now, we are going to stay with the Potters, and you know how we wanted to make this year's holidays remarkable? Well, Christmas is always really fun with the Potters, and you're going to love The Burrow. So, don't worry your pretty little head unnecessarily, okay? Just forget about it." Sebastian told her. Syria looked skeptical, so he continued, "Sweety, please, you're going to have so much fun. Lily and Rose are going to be there, and then you will really enjoy yourself, yeah, love?"

Syria just laid her head in Scorpius's lap, and her feet in Sebastian's. She figured sleep would help.

* * *

"Syria, love, wake up, we're here." Scorpius said, gently shaking his sister. She looked around and saw a house elf carrying some of their things, and Sebastian carrying some of their things. She got up, letting Scorpius out, and then took his hand as she climbed out herself. She saw Rose at the door, and immediately ran into her arms. _Perhaps this Christmas won't be so bad after all, _she thought.

A/N: So what do you think? I can't wait to write the next chapter, although this really made me sad, and I had a bit of difficulty writing it. Also, there are lots of Lily and Seb moments to come! So please leave a review. I would really appreciate it. Once again, I would like this oppurtunity to thank OurLoveIsForever, for her amazing support. And yes, I will have the regular update on Thursday:) So no worries there.


	17. A Home Away From Home

A/N: Here is chapter 17. Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, J.C, Calcetera, merkandtwisty, dgyeas, Faerie0975, ceh92, dbgothicprincess, amazingurl for the reviews! I have over 2,700 hits and 92 reviews! Thank you so much!! Thank yous also go to the favorites and alerts that people have added! And for those of you that leave me anonymous reviews, I answered them at the end, after the author's note. Thank you so much!!

* * *

Lily wondered what was going on, she had fallen asleep immediately after coming home. She was really tired. Her parents were leaving tomorrow, since there was a Quidditch convention in Germany. They would be back before Christmas though, so that was good. So, Hugo, Rose, Al, James, and her were going to be without supervision for quite some time. It would certainly be fun. Lily smiled, and went downstairs.

"Sebastian? Scorpius? Syria? What's going on here?" Lily wondered out loud, seeing trunks. She immediately reached the conclusion that the Malfoys were going to stay at their house, not that she really minded. It would just add on the fun. But she saw their solemn faces, and wondered what was going on.

"Lils, Scorp, Seb, and Syria are going to stay with us during the break. Kreacher has taken their things upstairs. Scorpius and Sebastian can take the guest room and Syria will sleep with you and Rose in your room. That's not a problem, is it?" Albus asked, after informing Lily of the situation. She was about to laugh, everyone well knew that Rose and Scorpius would be sleeping at Rose's place, especially since her parents weren't home. But she was still curious as to why exactly the Malfoys wanted to spend Christmas with them, but she knew she would have to wait for her answers.

"Sure, Al. Syria and I get along great, don't we?" Lily said, to which Syria responded with a grin and a hug. "We are going to have so much fun, Syr. I have sooo many toys for you to play with. I don't really play with them since I have outgrown them, so they are all yours. Would you like to come see?"

Syria squealed, and immediately took Lily's hand as they went up the stairs. Sebastian wondered how Lily always knew exactly what to say, and exactly what to do. Syria would get distracted from the situation at home if she immersed herself into toys. Sebastian couldn't help but smile.

"She's great with kids, isn't she?" Scorpius asked.

"Not just kids, Scorp. She's great with practically everything." Sebastian replied. The words just fell out of his mouth. His brother smirked and shook his head.

"All right, Kreacher, would you please take the stuff into the guest bedroom? Come on, Scorp, Seb. Dinner is ready." Albus instructed.

"Scorpius! Sebastian! I'm so glad you boys are staying over. Harry and I are thoroughly delighted. It's wonderful, especially since Harry and I are leaving for the Quidditch convention tomorrow. James may joining us in a few days, we aren't exactly sure of his plans yet. I am really sorry about that. But don't worry, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask Lily or Rose or Al or James. Even Hugo-"

"Scorp, don't ask Hugo if you need anything. You know there is a high chance he will screw it up." Rose said, kissing Scorpius on the cheek.

"Scorpius! M' boy! Sebastian! It's great to see you both!" Harry said, walking in from the attic, all dusty. He did a quick cleaning charm. "Now, I suppose Ginny has told you of our plans, and we are really sorry, but that doesn't mean you kids shouldn't make yourselves at home. After all, you're family. Now, we can talk later, I'm starving. Let's eat."

At that moment, Syria and Lily walked in, and Syria was obviously in a much better mood.

"Sebby, guess what? Lily gave me all these pretty dolls, and she said I could have them, and I love them. And you know what? There are also all these super cute stuffed animals, and she said I could pick any of them! Isn't that great?" Syria said, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. Now, how about we play later, and we eat now, okay?" Sebastian said.

"Okay, but I'm going to sit next to Lily." Syria said, taking Lily's hand and leading her to the table.

"Syria, I'm going to set the table,-"

"Oh, can I help, Lily? Can I please?!!" Syria begged.

"Of course, sweetheart."

And Lily and Syria helped Ginny and Rose set the table. Everyone sat down, and the conversation during dinner was kept light. Whether everyone did on purpose or it just happened that way, Scorpius and Sebastian didn't know, but they were nonetheless grateful.

After dinner, Lily, Rose, and Syria helped Ginny clean up, while the men went into the den for drinks.

"Uncle Harry, I really can't thank you enough for what you're doing. My dad would-"

"Scorpius, son, how many times do I have to tell you? We are family. There is no need for thanking us. Now, Sebastian has become part of the family as well. I can't tell you how glad Ginny and I are, that you two finally came to your senses. It's obvious that you two are meant to be together."

"Er, thank you, Mr. Potter. L-" Sebastian said, immediately turning red.

"No, no. Call me Harry, mate. Or you can me 'Dad' like Scorpius does Ron, or anything else, just not Mr. Potter." Harry said, with a smile.

"Well, Harry, I'm…I'm glad you approve of our relationship. It means a lot to me." Sebastian said, awkwardly. He really didn't know what to say. It just added onto his ever-growing guilt. He hoped Richard and Juniper would come to their senses soon. Lily's family was giving him the same approval he had received from his father.

Scorpius was watching his brother's emotion on his face. He looked to Albus who was staring at Sebastian as well. Albus turned to look at him, and an understanding passed between the best friends. They would get to the bottom of this. There was definitely something Sebastian and Lily were hiding from them.

* * *

Meanwhile in the kitchen, while the men were having their drinks, Ginny and Rose were grilling Lily on her relationship with Sebastian.

"So, when did you first realize you liked him?" Ginny asked her daughter.

"Mum! Please, I don't know all right. It just sort of happened. It's not something we planned." Lily said, turning the color of her hair.

"But Lily, surely, Sebastian must have done _something_ to make you realize that you have feelings for him, right?" Rose piped up, giving Lily a sideways glance.

"Mum, Rose. Nothing really happened. I mean, he's Head Boy, and I'm Head Girl. So naturally we have to share a Heads' Dorm, and we just got to know each other better."

"Well, make sure when you two get to _really know each other_, be safe. We will get you on the potion if we have to. In fact, I will even give you muggle birth control pills, and I know you can get cond-"

"MUM!!! Sebastian and I haven't taken that step yet!!" Lily squealed, really wishing she could just disappear.

"Oh, I know, love. It's fairly obvious when a girl has or hasn't taken that step. It's something other women can tell. But as I was saying, if you do decide to take that step, I want you to be responsible."

"Mum, can we please stop talking about this? It's really awkward. I promise to let you know when Sebastian and I do take that step-" Lily said, tired.

"You mean, _if_ you take that step." Rose supplied.

"Right, right, if we take that step, I will surely let you know, but for now, can we please stop? At least take into consideration that Syria is _right there_."

"What step were you talking about?" Syria asked, wondering what her future sisters-in-law were talking about. What did they mean by really getting to know each other? Sebby and Lily have known each other since they were nine, right? She shrugged when it appeared that neither of the women were planning on giving her answer since they all immediately stopped doing whatever they were doing and just looked at the little girl. All she did was ask a question. The ladies were done with the work, and Ginny decided to retire to bed. They had to leave early the next morning.

* * *

"All right, boys. It was nice chatting with you, but I think it's time I go to bed. Gin is probably already gone. We have a long day tomorrow. Good night, boys."

"Good night." came from five voices.

As Harry left, Rose appeared in the door, and smiled.

"Do you mind if I steal Scorpius for a while?" She asked. Immediately Scorpius stood up and said,

"Who the hell cares if they mind? _I _don't mind, and that's all that matters." And he immediately dragged off Rose, and they heard the front door open and close. Hugo said,

"I wish they would at least be discreet about it. Well, it's good that Dad isn't here. He'd probably have a heart attack by now."

All the boys laughed.

"Well, I suppose, I should go too. I'm beat." Hugo said, with a yawn.

"All right, Hugo. You go do that. Albus and I have something for Sebastian." James said. Hugo nodded, and went off.

Sebastian got worried, because it hit him like a ton of bricks. He hadn't gotten the 'Hurt Our Flower And We Will Maim You' speech. Lily hadn't had many boyfriends, but the ones she did have were always lectured by James and Albus. _Oh God. I hadn't thought about this when we made the plan. Come to think of it, we hadn't thought about anything. Normally, Lily and I both look before we leap. How could we have been so stupid? Well, they say people become blind in love. _Sebastian just shook his head and followed James and Albus into the attic.

"I know what you're probably thinking." James said, reacting to the panicked look on Sebastian's face. "But despite what you think, we're not going to give you our typical 'Hurt Our Flower And We Will Maim You' speech." He chuckled when Sebastian let out a breath of relief.

"Well, then what are we doing here?" Sebastian asked, curious. If they weren't going to lecture him, what were they going to do? He sincerely hoped it wasn't bad.

"My dear boy, Sebastian. We are going to show you some memories." Albus said, and all three dipped their heads into the pensieve. Curiosity really got a hold of Sebastian as he dipped his head into the pensieve wondering what memories James and Albus planned on showing him.

* * *

A/N: All right, the next chapter will be memories, and perhaps some dialogue. It depends on how long it gets. Just leave me a review. Please and thank you!!!! Also, I have projects on FictionPress coming up, if you're interested, tell me in your review, PM me, or visit my profile on there, and I have a poll up, and you can vote in that.=)

J.C.: No, sadly, I am not done writing the story, I am only on chapter 22, right now, actually. But I hope to finish it soon, hopefully before I leave for college, and I think there won't be more than 40 chapters at most…if even that maybe, I will just have to see how things play out. The only reason I updated on Monday this week was a tribute to OurLoveIsForever. It was my way of saying thank you to her. But I really hope to finish soon!!

Dgyeas: Well, I really can't tell you what will happen with Draco/Astoria, since that won't really be expressed until later in the story…and remember, that the chapter was more or less in Sebastian's POV, and Draco told him, that there were things that needed to be sorted between him and Astoria, and that Sebastian doesn't know the whole story. So, all I can say is wait and watch, because the Draco/Astoria element of this story doesn't just involve those two, it involves another character I just happen to be in love with.

Amazingurl: Thank you, and yes, I am definitely going to continue and finish this, no matter how long it takes me!


	18. Blooming and Wilting

A/N: **VERY IMPORTANT!! All right, the first memory is the fic, Scar. It is written by Bucky Katt Rocks, and I thank her soo much in letting my borrow this. I DO NOT OWN SCAR! Also the second memory, is the fic, Skeleton Key, which is written by Cottonpaw. I DO NOT OWN SKELETON KEY! So a huge thank you to her as well. I own the other memories that will follow. But the first memory and the second memory are not written by me. They are fics written by the authors I have mentioned above and I owe them a lot and thank you, thank you, thank you so much!**

* * *

**(Scar: Written by Bucky Katt Rocks)**

_"What's that Daddy?" Lily was only just four, and still fit easily in her father's lap. She had tugged on the neck of his t-shirt in her climb, and discovered a rounded mark on his chest._

_"That's a scar."_

_"A scar?" She wrinkled her nose._

_"It's an old boo-boo," he explained, gently pushing the paperwork he'd been perusing aside._

_She eyed it warily, poking the slightly disfigured skin. "Does it hurt?"_

_"Not anymore, no._

_She stared at the spot with great concentration, her tiny brow furrowing just the way his did when working something out in his head, then said decisively, "I'm going to make it better," with a nod of her small head._

_Harry watched in amusement as she shuffled down off his knee and said to him sternly, "Stay right there, Daddy."_

_The tiny redhead returned a few minutes later, now armed with a roll of toilet paper. "Lily, dear, what—"_

_"Shh!" she scolded. "You're my patient, Daddy, so you have to keep quiet."_

_"Oh, okay," he agreed, playing along. Really, Harry was a complete pushover when it came to his youngest child. All she had to do was look up at him with those big round eyes and he easily caved to whatever request she made._

_Lily scrambled back up into his lap and began wrapping the toilet paper around his chest, making him feel a bit like a mummy. "Hold this," she instructed, and he obediently kept the end of the roll in place as she began the difficult process of "bandaging" him. Harry began to look over the reports again, all the while keeping his arm around her so she wouldn't fall._

_Once Lily was finished, she surveyed her work. "There. Now I have to fix the rest of you."_

_"The rest of me?" he asked with mild surprise._

_"Yep. I wanna fix all your cars!"_

_"Scars," he corrected, but Lily was already working on Harry's most famous scar, the lightening bolt on his forehead. She knocked his glasses askew as she wrapped the "bandages" around his head, humming an odd little tune to herself as she worked._

_Just as Lily was finishing up applying the tissues to her father's head, Ginny Potter walked into the kitchen, and was very confused by the sight that greeted her. "What happened here?" she asked curiously. Her husband now not only felt like a mummy, but had started to resemble one as well._

_"I'm fixing Daddy's scars," Lily explained, as if it were obvious._

_Ginny's mouth formed a small "O" of understanding as Harry added, "I'm her patient."_

_Lily nodded, then threw her tiny arms around his neck and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "Did I make you all better, Daddy?" she asked eagerly._

_He looked into her big brown eyes, the ones that always made him melt, and said sincerely, "You have no idea how much, love."_

**(Skeleton Key: Written by Cottonpaw)**

_Warm sunlight streamed through the garage door, revealing a small, red-headed girl of ten. She smiled at the sight of her older brothers, James and Al, covered in dust from head to toe._

_"Thought I might find you here." She said cheerily, striding through the piles of boxes the boys were sentenced to organize. "Too bad you can't come play. I'm going swimming, it's a lovely day. Then later, mum's going to play Quidditch with me. She told me she'd teach me this flight tactic that is so advanced, even dad couldn't get it right strait away." She perched herself on the old work bench. "But you have to be in here for the whole day!"_

_"Shut up, Lily." James muttered, hefting a box and carrying it to another pile._

_"It's not my fault you two can get into so much trouble." Lily said defensively, still smiling._

_"It's not our fault you have to cry every time you don't get what you want!" James snapped, not looking up from the box he was trying to open._

_"Me? You are the one who blew up that bathroom!" she screeched. "Why would you even bring fireworks into a muggle ice cream parlor anyway?" There was no reply. Shaking her head, she jumped off the table and walked over to an old chest she saw in the corner. "What's in here?" she asked, peering inside._

_"Oh, that's empty." Al said. James knocked over a tower of boxes and watched helplessly as they fell with a bang. Swearing furiously, he made a desperate attempt to collect the boxes' contents. Ignoring him, Lily examined the box with curiosity. Something glittering caught her eye and she seized it._

_"Look at this!" she exclaimed. Al rushed over to see what his sister had found, excitement in his eyes. The excitement quickly faded when he realized what it was he was looking at._

_"It's just an old skeleton key." He clarified. "Probably doesn't open anything."_

_"But what if it does open something?" she wondered. "I'm going to find out what! It's like a treasure hunt!" James rolled his eyes. "James, I need your help." She tugged on his sleeve. "Just distract dad while I go search his office." James whipped around to face her._

_"Are you mad?" he exclaimed. "You're mental! Searching dad's office? He'll kill us all!"_

_"Just for a few minutes?" she pleaded. "I've got to see what this key opens!" Her eyes became wide and filled with tears._

_"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" He yelled. He grabbed Lily's hand and roughly pulled her out the door, Al not far behind._

_

* * *

_

_"Hey, dad?" Harry Potter slowly looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet and peered at his son over the top of his round-rimmed glasses. That made James nervous. "I need help deciding something." Harry gave him a questioning look. "Erm, there's this box and I want to know if I should throw it out or not. Could you come look at it?"_

_"Is this really something you need me for?" Harry asked. James nodded and breathed a sigh of relief when his father folded up the Prophet and stood up. As he opened the back door, he saw Al and Lily sneak down the hall. Now, how is he going to stall Harry and avoid landing himself in two more weeks of grounding?_

_

* * *

_

_Lily cautiously opened the door to Harry's office. She tiptoed inside and immediately began trying the key in all the locks while Al kept look out. Finally, she arrived at the last cabinet. Barely breathing, she stuck the key in the lock and twisted. There was no click._

_"Darn." She said. "That was the last one." She told her brother._

_"Best get back to the garage then." They closed the door and slipped outside._

_Sprinting across the garden, the two reached the garage and flung the door open._

_"James, it didn't work." Lily called. "I couldn't get anything…..to.…..open…….." she trailed off at the sight of her father propped up against the wall; James sulked next to him. She shrank under Harry's gaze._

_"Oh, bugger."_

_

* * *

_

_Lily absently swept the floor. She jumped when something crashed behind her. James had knocked over another box. Sighing, she went to help._

_"I can't believe I have to help you clean this disaster." She complained._

_"You're the one who went into dad's office and got us into even more trouble." James shot back. "Thought we were being arrested."_

_"Well, if you two hadn't gotten in trouble in the first place, I would have never found that bloody key!"_

_"Oh, sure. Blame it on us."  
"Why would dad have a key to open something when he could use magic?" Al wondered aloud. James froze._

_"I'm going to bloody kill you." He snarled at his brother. "Why didn't you think of that in the first place?" All shrugged and went back to work._

_Lily wandered over to that old trunk that she had found earlier, fingering the key she had in her pocket. Realization struck her like a punch in the stomach. She bent down and stuck the key in the lock. There was a click. Groaning, she showed her brothers her discovery._

_"You've got to be kidding me." James muttered. "We went looking for something, got in trouble, and then found the thing right under our bloody noses?!" Lily nodded and smiled sheepishly._

_Al laughed hysterically._

And the scene changed again. Sebastian remembered hearing about that from Scorpius. He chuckled shaking his head.

_The door flew open and fourteen year old Lily Potter came in, the tears streaking down her face. She really needed Albus or James, or preferably both. She walked into the sixth year boy's dorm, desperately looking for Albus. Instead, she found his best friend._

"_Scorpius, do you know where Al is?" She managed to get out, in between sniffles._

"_No, Lily. I'm really sorry, and James has the map. But tell me, what's wrong? Did someone say something?" Scorpius asked gently. After all, he considered her a little sister, and on many occasions, Lily joked that she wished Scorpius was her older brother instead of Albus._

"_No, I really need Al or James right now. I'm sorry, Scorp. I just…if you see James, please tell him I'm here. I will just wait here until Al comes back." And then she broke down, and turned around, effectively, bumping into someone. _

"_Sorry, I wasn't look-look-looking. I'm really sor-r-r-ry." She said, as fresh tears flooded her eyes. Sebastian almost yelled at her, she needed to watch where she was going, but decided against it. That was the first time he had seen Potter cry. Something really big must have happened._

_She threw herself on Al's bed. She closed her eyes and patiently waited for her brother. She hated being this weak, and she really wanted to do something herself. And she had tried, she tried really hard, but…she needed her brothers there. She needed them more than anything to hold her. Albus always knew what to say to make her feel better. Just James's embrace would be enough. If either one of them simply held her, she wouldn't miss Dad that much. She really hoped they would come soon._

"_Hey, Scorp? What's up with Potter? Did the pampered princess break a nail?" Sebastian joked, thinking Lily was asleep. Lily didn't have the energy to hex him into oblivion. _He doesn't know what happened, Lils. Don't worry about it, it's just Malfoy. Just wait for Al, _she kept telling herself._

"_No, Seb, I don't. She wouldn't tell me anything. She just kept on asking for Al or James. Al is with Mandy. I don't know when he will be back. She looks really upset, I really am worried. You know what, I'm gonna go find Rose. Perhaps she knows what goes on." Scorpius said, leaving._

"_Hey Scor-" Sebastian called after his brother. _Stupid Potter, _he thought. Sebastian came here to ask Scorpius for a few galleons. He was taking Noelle Clearwater on a date to Hogsmeade later that day, and he needed some extra money. He really liked her and wanted to impress her. She was probably the prettiest in their year, and Sebastian doubted that there could ever be anyone prettier, when his eyes darted toward Potter of their own accord. He shrugged. But thanks to her, he had forgotten all about his date. Why did she have to ruin __**everything**__? He would get late if he didn't leave soon, and really wanted to just take the money. But he knew Scorp would be back soon, so he just decided to wait patiently. He sat on Scorp's bed, but got bored after a while. He glanced over at Potter, and noticed how her hair had fanned out on the white pillow. There were streaks of dried tears on her face, and Sebastian noticed they just…didn't look good on her. They took away from her charm. _Charm? What charm? See this is what lack of sleep does to you, Seb. You almost thought **Potter** had charm._ He shook himself, trying to rid himself of such ridiculous thoughts. Potter? Charm? He scoffed inwardly._

"_Lily?" Albus asked, his voice full of concern. Sebastian looked and saw Albus standing in the doorway. Lily immediately shot up, and ran into her brother's arms. She began sobbing, and Albus just held her, knowing it was futile to ask her anything at the moment. Scorpius and Rose also arrived, with James, Fred, Roxanne, Lucy, and Hugo in tow. He quickly took a bag of galleons and showed it to Scorpius, who nodded, assuring Sebastian it was okay. Sebastian left. After all, he had a date._

"_What the hell happened? Why the hell is she crying? Whoever is going to pay. Nobody makes my baby sister cry!" James spat._

"_James, just let her calm down a little. Can't you see how bad she's feeling? Just let her cry, and when she feels like telling us, she will." Rose said, obviously concerned for her cousin._

"_Do you think she'll be all right?" Hugo asked, not sure really what to do. Lily didn't really cry, and never in front of him. But he was still feeling bad for his favorite cousin._

"_All right, kiddo. That's enough crying. Now tell me who I have to go beat up." Roxanne said. Lily looked up and smiled at her tomboy cousin. Roxanne was the only girl on the Quidditch team, and was tougher than any other girl. Hell, she was tougher than most guys._

"_Well, I…promise you won't get mad, James. Promise you won't reprimand me just yet. You can yell at me later, but right now, I really won't be able to take it." Lily said._

"_Flower! I won't reprimand you…unless it's your fault…is it your fault?"_

"_Well, sort of. Ryan and I were supposed to go to Hogsmeade today. So then I went up to his room, and he pulled me in and started kissing me. It was all right for a couple of minutes, but then…but then he…but he…"_

"_Did he make you do anything you didn't want to, Lily?" James asked, gripping his sister's shoulders. She nodded and continued,_

"_He put his hand up my shirt, and t-t-touched m-m-me. I told I wasn't ready for that yet but he tooky shirt off..." Lily broke into sobs again. "I'm sorry, James. I should have listened to you.-"_

"_Shh. Lilylove, it's not your fault. It's that mother fucking bastard's fault. I'm going to kill him." James said, his voice dripping with venom._

_Rose and Lucy immediately wrapped their arms around Lily while James took out the map, quickly locating that the bloody ponce was still in his room._

"_Come on, guys. Let's go." And James, Albus, Fred, Roxanne, Hugo, and Scorpius left the room, no doubt to teach Ryan Andrews a lesson. A second later, Lily said,_

"_Is it vindictive of me to want to watch?" _

"_Oh, Lily. I was hoping you would ask. Let's go!" Lucy said, and Rose simply shook her head._

_When Lily, Lucy, and Rose reached there, James was already holding Ryan's collar, barking at him. Albus pushed his brother, and just took a blow at the bloke._

"_You ever even think of my sister, you will be dead. Do you get that?" Albus gritted._

"_A few punches here and there aren't going to do anything." Scorpius said, pointing his wand, and muttering a curse._

_Fred and Hugo did the same, and James and Albus followed. By the time they were through with him, Ryan Andrews had a bloody nose, and was pretty badly beaten up._

"_Wait, wait. I still have my touch to add." Roxanne said, packing one last punch. "There, that's more like it."_

_Lily couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes._

"_Oh don't be such a girl, Lils. We taught the arse a lesson. Stop crying about it now." Roxanne said, swinging an arm over her cousin._

"_Oh, Roxy! It's not him, in fact, I don't even want to look at him. Let's all go to the Common Room." As the group made their way to the Common Room, Lily continued, "I cried now because I love you guys. You guys are so wonderful. This really means a lot. I really can't tha-"_

"_Lily, please don't tell me you were about to thank us. Really, Lils. You know us better than that, Flower." Albus said._

"_I'm just mad that it even came to this. I wanna go back and-" Lily held James back, grabbing his hand, and wrapping her arms around his waste. He put his arm around her, and kissed her forehead._

"_How about you quit hogging her, eh, James?" Albus said, pulling Lily to him. Lily giggled, as she went back and forth between her brothers. They really weren't fighting over her, it was just to make her laugh. Albus and James smiled as Lily laughed when they tickled. After she couldn't take it anymore, she clutched her stomach, and wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. Only her family would know how make this terrible day turn into a fun one._

"_I-love-you-guys." Lily let out in between howls of laughter._

"_Hey, we still have some time. How about we all go to Hogsmeade? One big family trip to Hogsmeade?" Fred said, looking around for approval. Right when he said that, Al's girlfriend, Mandy, came down the stairs, and Lily motioned to her._

"_We're all going to Hogsmeade! Come on, Mandy. Let's go, guys!!" Lily said, and motioned everyone to follow her. There was a smile on her face, but it was void of the innocence, the twinkle, and the happiness Sebastian had seen in the earlier memories._

Albus, James, and Sebastian all lifted their head out of the pensieve.

"She completely changed after that. That bloke ruined the idea of love for her, you know? That's why she hardly dated after that. She didn't want to risk anything like that." Albus said.

"But that's in the past. Al and I just wanted to let you know that we are glad, that she finally found someone who would treat her the way she deserves to be treated. You know why we never wanted to give you the lecture we have given everyone else? Because we _know_ you will give her all the happiness in the world. I saw her laughing with Syria today, and it was like she was finally back to her true self. We just want to want to know how thankful we are-" James stopped, looking away to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Sebastian, if Scorp and Rose are _any_ indication, then we know our little Flower will be happy with you. That's all we can ask of you. We don't want anything else." Albus said, his heart heavy as well.

Sebastian was speechless. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that James Sirius Potter and Albus Severus Potter would cry. But he knew that he and Scorp would have felt the same if the same thing would have happened to Syria.

"I think we have overwhelmed him enough, James. How about we call it a night? Oh, and don't stay up waiting for Scorp. He's not going to be sleeping here. We only said that to appease Mum and Dad. But don't be surprised if you wake up and Scorpius is in the other bed, all right, mate? Good night, Seb." Albus said, when James yawned.

"Good night, James. Al." Sebastian said, making his way up to his room. He definitely needed to talk to Lily.

* * *

A/N: So, I wrote this over a month ago, and I thought it was fine, but now I felt it was super cheesy, but I guess it had to be this way...I don't know... What do you think? Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! Also, I have a POLL up on my PROFILE, regarding this story, and I would love if you guys would check it out. There are a few other things on my profile, such as upcoming projects, including Syria's story.

A/N: Here are the thanks, I didn't put them in the beginning because the beginning was specifically for that message up there:

Thank you to dbgothicprincess, merkandtwisty, ceh92, Jeni27, Calcetera, Kagome Nightmare, OurLoveIsForever, creative-writing-girl13, and HorribleHolly for the reviews. This story now has over 3,000 hits and 107 reviews!! Thank you for the favorites as well. Thank you so much everyone, really!! I know how repetitive it sounds, but really, thank you so much everyone, for all the support! AS OF 8/11/09, THIS STORY HAS THE MOST REVIEWS AND ALERTS OUT OF ALL OF MY STORIES!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Oh, and chapter 18 is dedicated to Kagome Nightmare, for being such a royal reviewer! Thank you so much!!

Review Reply to Horrible Holly: I am replying to you on here, because I didn't see the send message option on your profile, and right now, FF isn't letting anyone reply to reviews. Thank you so much, you're so sweet=) I really am trying hard to finish writing this, then I can update twice a week hopefully=). But for right now, I'm only finishing ch. 23, since I'm heading off to college, so things have been a little hectic, but come what may, I will certainly finish this story, and from what I have planned, I really hope to be done soon…LoL, actually, Lily does have one best friend, Beth, who moved to France, and ironically, she's romantically involved with Hugo…I haven't really introduced her yet, but her character is mentioned in chapter 23...the thing is, since Lily was always told to be careful as to her real friends are, she has always been closer to her family, and doesn't have many close friends…people like her, but after Beth, she doesn't really have a best friend, sorta like Sebastian and Hugo, lol. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I'm sorry I had to reply to you this way…Also thank you for adding this story to your favorites and alerts, and me to your favorites and alerts. I really appreciate the support.


	19. Unveiling Correct Assumptions

A/N: Thank you to merkandtwisty, dbgothicprincess, creative-writing-girl-13, Cottonpaw, Lilyluna, ceh92, OurLoveIsForever, Leilalys, J.C., LRSD, Calcetera, and LRSD again for the amazing reviews. I have 119 reviews and over 3,600 hits now!! Thank you so much everyone who also alerted, favorited, or both!!! Now onto chapter 19. This chapter is dedicated to creative-writing-girl-13, for a really touching review, and for also raising the count to 110!! Again, if you left anonymous or unsigned reviews, I have answered them at the end. Thank you to those who voted in the poll, and for those of you that haven't…you should…because the results so far are pretty interesting…Yes, I know it's not my day to update, but since I move on Friday, and I will probably pack up my laptop and everything tonight, I just wanted to give you wonderful amazing viewers an update this week, since I know I probably won't be able to update tomorrow..so, please enjoy!!

* * *

Lily saw James and Albus leading Sebastian into the attic. She wondered what they were planning on doing. _They're probably going to give him their infamous speech. Poor Seb, _Lily thought. She would just talk to him in the morning. She was doing a final check on the house to make sure all the doors and windows were locked properly. She did a few charms, and was about to go into the kitchen to make sure there were enough items to prepare breakfast tomorrow. When she went into the kitchen, she saw a purse, and recognized it as Rose's. _Rose must have forgotten it. She was in such a hurry to go shag Scorpius. I will just apparate and go over to her house, keep it quietly, and come back. I don't want to disturb them._

Lily disappeared with a little pop, and arrived at Uncle Ron's house. She quickly grabbed some parchment, a quill, and some ink from the study, and wrote Rose a quick note about how she left her bag at Lily's. She was getting ready to apparate back when she heard a female voice saying,

"There's something fishy about their relationship. I mean, Scorp, remember when we first started dating, we would make up so many stories, just we could go snog. Al-" Lily recognized this voice as her cousin's. She scooted closer to the bedroom, so she could hear better.

"Rose, love, we have been dating for three years, and we _still_ make up stories so we can go snog. I mean, look at us now, your aunt and uncle don't know we're here. And you're right, Al told me, that they haven't even snogged properly yet. Their relationship just seems too good to be true. There is something going on. I just don't know what, maybe they still feel awkward around each other." Scorpius said.

"Well, it's more of they feel awkward about their relationship in front of everyone. Like they hate admitting it. And the worst part is, both of them are so upfront about most things, it's not in either of their natures to act like this about something. Do you know what might be the case?" Rose wondered.

"I don't know. But that element, that X-factor of a couple, that always sets a couple apart is missing. The chemistry is there, the history is there, the biology isn't there. Haha, did you get my joke, Rose? The biolog-" Scorpius said, guffawing.

"That was terrible, Scorp." Rose said dryly, "I think I have worn you out."

"Baby, you couldn't wear me out even if you wanted to." Scorpius said, kissing Rose, who let out a moan, and apparently did something to make Scorpius do the same.

_And that is my cue to leave_, Lily thought, hastily apparating back to her house. She definitely didn't want to stick around for what would happen next. She went up to her room, thinking about the exchange she had just heard between Rose and Scorpius. She twirled her wand around her bed to set an alarm charm for five in the morning, her parents were planning on leaving by six. She yawned, and decided she would talk to Sebastian tomorrow.

* * *

Lily shot up in bed, from the incessant noise. She rubbed her eyes, and glanced at her digital clock on her bedside table, which read five.

"Stupid alarm charm." She muttered. She yawned, and wandered into her parents' bedroom, eyes still half closed.

"Mama, it's five." Lily said, gently shaking Ginny.

"Hmm? Already?" Ginny groaned. She got up and rubbed Harry's chest, causing him to stir, and wrap his arm around Ginny's waist.

"How about I come back in a little while? I will make breakfast, and your stuff is already packed, so then all you have to do is eat and leave."

"Okay, baby. I love you, my angel." Ginny murmured. "We have such a sweet daughter, Harry." And she snuggled into Harry's embrace.

"Mmmhmm. My baby is the best baby in the world." Harry said in his sleep. Lily just smiled, and shook her head. She headed downstairs, and lightly touched Kreacher.

"Kreacher, are you awake?" She asked, to which the house elf nodded in response.

"What would you like me to do, Miss Lily?"

"How about we get breakfast started? Mum and Dad have to leave in less than an hour." Lily said, walking into the kitchen with Kreacher.

Lily waved her wand and started the stove. Kreacher took out eggs, spring onions, tomatoes, green chillies, cilantro, and began beating them in a bowl. Lily put toast in the toaster, and took out the butter and jam. She also put some butter in the skillet, and once it melted, she put the egg mix in, making the huge omelets. The toasts were done as well.

She took out milk and juice, and conjured some glasses.

"It's not fantastic, but it will have to do." Lily sighed. "Thank you, Kreacher. You may go back to sleep if you wish. I'm about to wake up Mum and Dad."

"Miss Lily, I will be in the attic if you need me. Madam Ginny wanted me to clean it out."

Lily went upstairs and knocked on her parents' door. Ginny opened the door, ready and dressed.

"Your father is getting dressed. How about we go make breakfast?" Ginny said, coming outside, making her way downstairs.

"Kreacher and I made breakfast, Mum. All you have to do is eat, but I'm warning you, it's not magnificent, and isn't nearly as nice as what you would have fixed. It's really simple."

Ginny looked at the set table, and smiled, turning to her daughter,

"It's wonderful, love. You shouldn't have let me gone back to sleep. My poor baby, you had to do all this by yourself."

"It's not much, Mum. But how about you get started and I will go and call Dad?" Lily said, going back upstairs, and peeked inside her parents' room. Her dad was doing a final check on the luggage, and Lily went over and hugged him.

"Good morning, Daddy. Is everything okay?"

"Good morning, sweetheart. Yes, I think we have everything."

"All right. How about you go downstairs and eat breakfast?" Lily suggested, "And I will go get Kreacher and have him bring your luggage down, yeah?"

Harry hugged his daughter, and kissed her forehead.

"Sometimes, I feel Ginny and I are the kids and _you're_ the parent." Lily laughed, and went towards the attic. Harry went downstairs and joined Ginny for breakfast.

Kreacher bought down Harry and Ginny's luggage, and went back into the attic. Lily asked her parents,

"Is it okay? Do you want anything else?"

"Lilylove, we don't need anything else, you always take care of everything." Ginny said, finishing her omelet.

"Oh dear Merlin! I forgot coffee! I'm so sorry, Dad. I know how much you enjoy your coffee. And I forgot to make tea for Mum. I'll make some right away. I'm so sorr-" Lily exclaimed, hitting her forehead, wondering how she could be so forgetful.

"It's okay, Lily. Your mother and I are about to leave anyway. It's no big deal." Harry said gently.

"Lily, dear, you don't have to be perfect all the time." Ginny said smiling, trying to lighten up the mood. "You don't need to be so hard on yourself all the time."

Lily nodded, and said,

"All right, it's about time for you to leave."

Harry and Ginny were getting ready to leave, when James and Albus came downstairs, obviously still half asleep.

"You're leaving then?" James croaked, giving his mother a hug.

"Yes, boys. I want you two to behave, and take care of your sister." Ginny said, getting nods from her sons in response.

Harry and Ginny left, kissing their kids good-bye one final time, before placing their hands on the portkey.

"Are we ready, Flower?" James asked, referring to their ritual morning runs during the Christmas vacations.

"I have a lot of housework to get done. How about I join you two tomorrow, yeah?"

"Oh, Lils, come on. It's been so long since the three of us have gone on a run together. It'll be fun." Albus whined, making his infamous puppy dog eyes and pout.

"Al, I will come tomorrow, I promise. Just not today, okay? There really are many things I need to get done in the house today. We can all go running tomorrow, okay?"

"Mhhrrrmm, okay, Lilykins. But tomorrow we are all going running, okay?" James said, "Come on, Al. Let's go get changed into our tracksuits."

After watching her brothers leave, Lily decided to get ready herself. She showered and got ready.

"Kreacher, James and Al will be back soon. How about you go make their beds, get their clothes ready and then we can get breakfast for everyone ready, yeah?"

Lily went into her room, and checked on Syria, and then went next door into the guest room, to check on Sebastian. She went downstairs, and saw that Rose and Scorpius had walked in.

"Sleep well? Or perhaps, you didn't sleep at all?" Lily teased, chuckling.

Both Rose and Scorpius blushed.

"Actually, we were just leaving. I wanted to thank you for returning my bag, I'm on my way to work. Mum isn't here, so I have to do some of her work as well. And Scorpius wanted to take me out to breakfast today. We have some talking to do." Rose said in such a stern voice, that Lily couldn't help but feel intrigued.

"Okay, well, you two have fun. I will just get breakfast ready for everyone else. James and Al-"

"Are back from their morning jog." Lily looked behind Rose and Scorpius upon hearing Albus's voice.

"You two go shower, and I shall get started on breakfast."

"Sounds good, Lils." James said, going up to his room. Lily went into the kitchen, and decided to get started on breakfast.

Albus waved his wand, and did a silencing charm, ensuring that no one would hear their conversation.

"All right, so exactly are we going to figure out what is going on between them?" Albus said.

"Well, Rose and I were about to go to work, and then we were going to come home for lunch to see what these two would be up to." Scorpius said.

"That sounds like a plan. If we walk in unexpected, then we can really find out what is going on." Albus said.

"I think we should also press them on about their relationship, because every time it's brought up, neither of them give a straight answer. It's believable, yet…it's almost unreal."

Albus nodded, and undid the silencing charm. When he went into the kitchen, he saw James was already stuffing his face, not even bothering to sit at the table. He motioned to Al, Rose, and Scorp to come join him.

"Scorp and I are about to leave, so we will see you later, James." Rose said. She tugged on Scorpius's hand, who swatted her hand away, and reached for a piece of toast.

"Now fee fan grrroo" Scorpius said, his face fully stuffed. Rose just made a face, and sighed in exasperation.

"Really Scorpius, are you sure a grown man? Because I certainly have my doubts." Rose spat.

"Rryeah, rrighf. Roo sure trhought I wassh a mran last night!" Scorpius said, gulping the rest of his food. "Well, we are off. Later, you lot."

"Al, go shower, your clothes are already ready, and you can go to the office after that." Lily said.

"Yes, mini-Mum. Really, Lils. I'm not a child." Albus grumbled.

"Well then, I shouldn't have to remind you, now should I?" Lily retorted, to which James laughed.

"James, shut up and eat your food. You have a meeting in about an hour." Lily said.

"I'm done, actually. I will be getting ready now. Big day today." James said, jumping up and making his way to his room.

"Sebastian, good morning mate!" James said, on his way up. It was almost eight thirty, Lily noticed.

Walking down the stairs, as regal as ever, was Sebastian Malfoy. His hair was mussed up from sleep, and his grey eyes lacked their normal blue twinkle, showing he wasn't fully awake.

"Good morning, everyone. Syria is in the bathroom, she should be down in a bit. Where are Rose and Scorp?" Sebastian asked.

"They left already. Albus is going to eat after he gets ready, and James already ate. What would you like to eat for breakfast?" Lily asked Sebastian. She noticed that James and Albus were both back.

"Lily, don't you even know what your beloved boyfriend wants for breakfast?" Albus said.

"He would love cheesy scrambled eggs, they are his favorite. I already had Kreacher make it, I just wanted to surprise him is all." Lily said, crossing her arms. Sebastian followed Lily as she went back into the kitchen. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"Don't turn around, Albus is still watching us." Sebastian whispered in Lily's ear.

"Actually, I was going to talk to you."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too, Albus and James showed me something last night. I-"

" Whatever it is, it can wait. Last night, when I went to return Rose's purse, I heard her and Scorp talking. Her, Al, and Scorp think we aren't a real couple, which obviously we're not." Lily whispered back.

"Damn. You know, this is exactly what we said earlier, isn't it? We can fool the world, but not Rose, Al, and Scorp. What are we going to do now?"

" _I _said that but, that's not the point. We're going to do the only thing we can do." Lily stated matter-of-factly.

"And that would be?" Sebastian inquired.

"We have to do couple-y things."

* * *

A/N: Man, it's hard to write dialogue for a character whose face is stuffed with food. This story is probably going to be longer than I anticipated. I had to end it here, or else this chapter would be too long, and plus it would be so much more fun to write the next part as its own chapter, so I'm sorry if I disappointed you. I originally wanted to write the couple-y things as part of this chapter, but that's not how it played out I guess... As always, please leave a review. I would really appreciate it!!! Your feedback is what keeps me going!! And if it's not to much to ask, please check out my profile, because I have put up some new things on there. Including information about Syria's story, and other stories from the Next Gen, AND A POLL regarding this story, about who will realize their feelings first…so please check it out=). Oh, and regardless of the results of the poll, I already have in my head who's going to realize their feelings first…muahahahahah…ha…Thanks!

Review Reply to Lilyluna: Well, Sebastian will 'avenge' Lily so to speak and that part will come up…in due time of course, now exactly what he will do, I can't reveal, but he certainly will do something, and it's ironic you ask that, since I just got done writing that chapter, where Seb so to speak 'avenges' Lily…but I think I did something along the lines of what you're looking for. As always, thank you for reviewing and your support. It is what keeps me going!! Thank you!!

Review Reply to J.C.: Thank you!!


	20. Doing Coupley Things

A/N: Now onto chapter 20. But before that, I have to have my thanks to merkandtwisty, ceh92, dbgothicprincess, Missyl/Annemieke, nazzhearts, and Horrible Holly for reiviewing!! And I think this is a special chapter, because A) It was one of my favorites to write and B) It's the first chapter I'm posting from college!! Woooo!!

* * *

" Couple-y things? What the hell do you mean by that, Potter? Couple-y things." Sebastian grumbled, taking Lily into another room, lest Albus and James hear them. "I'm not going to shag you, Potter."

"Back to last names, are we? Let me remind you that we are supposed to be dating." Lily snapped back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I'm sorry." Sebastian sighed. "But what exactly do you mean by 'couple-y things'?"

"Well, we have to do what all normal couples do in love, dancing in the rain, taking walks in the garden, cooking with each other, you know like they show in muggle movies? Things like that."

"We don't have to snog in front of them, do we?" Sebastian asked, nervous. Why he was nervous, he wasn't really sure.

"Good heavens, no! I don't think we need to do that, but we do need to act like we are about to go snog. Remember how Rose and Scorpius would always act like they were going to go study, but actually went to snog?" Sebastian nodded, and motioned Lily to continue, "We have to do that. But it has to be something absurd, like discuss Head Duties or something school-related."

"So then they _know_ we're lying, and just want a terrible excuse to snog. Because it would be pointless to talk about school related things when school isn't even in session. " Sebastian said, understanding what Lily was playing at.

"You know, I would have never, in my wildest dreams, ever thought that you would understand the frequency of _my_ mind, Sebastian. We really must be getting along better than we realize." Lily joked.

"Like I said before, I understand you better than you realize. You know, anyone else may interpreted your last remark as perhaps arrogant, but _I _know that you were simply referring to the complexity of your mind. That's why you always hated me, Lily. Because I can figure you out, I unravel the many layers of your personality like that." Sebastian said, snapping his fingers at the last two words. He smirked, and left Lily speechless.

* * *

"All right, now after lunch, we will have to make up an excuse to go 'snog', got it?"

"No, Lily, I really don't get it. I mean, I didn't get the first fifty-eight times you said it either, and I surely won't get it if you repeat it, even though I know you were planning to." Sebastian said, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

Lily just made a face at him. _Boys are just stupid_, she assured herself. After all, he claimed to understand her better than most right, then he would understand why she repeated the plan for the day over and over. She just wanted to make sure that he knew what to do; she didn't want things to get messed up. She rolled her eyes, and just shook her head, going into the dining area. She took one final look at the dining table and decided it was all right.

"James! So how did things go?" Lily asked, but immediately regretted it. Obviously things hadn't gone the way he wanted them to.

James put a smile on his face, and Lily knew that she would just talk to him about it later. Rose, Albus, and Scorpius had come home for lunch, and everyone was getting seated at the table.

"Well, I have some good news." James announced, and everyone looked at him expectantly. "I have been made captain."

Scorpius, Sebastian, Albus, Hugo alll hooted. Fred and Roxanne who had also joined them for lunch also cheered. Lily and Rose smiled, their eyes twinkling.

"That's great, James." Lily said.

"Yeah, it is. So, I will be leaving tomorrow morning to attend the Convention. Give Mum and Dad some company, you know. Build my connections, get to know the big shots, which I already do, really, but still, it's always nice to continue to be in peoples' good books." James said, smiling, but Lily saw through his smile. She would have to talk to him after lunch. _Hmm, how bloody ironic, I emphasized the plan over and over, yet here I am, changing the plan, without letting Seb know. I hope he understands…_Lily worried. Everyone began eating, and Lily just looked at James, he was always so resilient, and Lily hoped he would be this time too. Lunch had been fairly short, and Rose and Scorpius left to go back to work pretty quickly, so that worked in her favor as well. Albus decided to stick around under the pretext of helping Lily with something.

"Kreacher, would you please clear up the table? James, Albus, and I have things to discuss. Thank you." Lily asked, leaving to follow Albus and James into the den. She saw Seb give her a look from the corner of her eye, but she would deal with that later. James was much more important than proving Rose and Scorpius wrong in their correct assumptions.

"So, you talked to Adrienne?" Albus asked, getting right to the point, to which he received a glare from Lily.

"Al! Give him a minute, don't force anything out of him. Can't you see how bad he feels?" Lily said, wrapping her arms around her oldest brother. James had gone through enough shit with Adrienne, and if she didn't realize what an amazing guy he was, then she didn't deserve him.

"I'm okay, Lils. I always am." James said, trying to smile. Lily couldn't help the tears that formed seeing the look on James' face. He was always the one cheering everyone else up, the jovial, joyful, James. He was broken, this was the final straw and Lily knew it. Judging from the look on Al's face, he knew it too.

"James, if you're not ready to talk, Lily and I can come back-" Albus started, but James interrupted him.

"No, I am ready, I just need a minute. Al, make me a drink mate?" Albus immediately nodded, getting up and proceeding to make James a drink.

"Here you are, James." Al said, sitting on the other side of James, who sniffled, wiped his eyes, and began,

"Right, so you both know that she was having some renovations done for her house, and since she's muggle-born, so she had muggle people do it. I went over to check if everything was okay, because I was helping her with it. Everything was fine, we were talking, and then she looked at _his_ picture and started crying. So I held her, and like an idiot I told her I love her, and then that did nothing to help her. She started yelling at me, telling me that she hated me…and…"

"Oh, James!" Lily said, as James broke down in sobs. James took a sip of his drink, and said,

"Why can't I be good enough for her, Lil? When will I be worthy of her? Will she ever realize how much she means to me? Does she not understand it kills me to see her like this?"

"James, it's not easy, it's not easy to do what you did. It's not easy to chase a girl for five years only to find out she was in love with someone else the whole time. It's not easy when she asks _you_ to convince her family that the other man is the right choice for her. It's not…not…easy…to attend her wedding, with a huge smile on your face, pretending to be happy, as if it was your own wedding. It's not easy to be there for her when her husband dies. It's not easy to just be friends when you have wanted so much more your whole life. It's not fair to you, James…and I'm so sorry, because you deserve so much better." Lily said, hugging her brother tight.

"Oh, Flower, life's not supposed to be fair…but it hurts so much, and I can't help it. I want to give her all the happiness in the world. You know why I was so happy at her wedding, because she was happy. Adrienne told me that she didn't really think I was going to do it, but I did. And then, she agreed to be my friend, and I figured, at least she would be in my life that way. After five long years, she had finally agreed to be my friend! Then when her husband died, I helped her get her life back together. I don't know what else-"

"There is nothing else you can do, James." Albus put in. "If all of this hasn't told her how much you care about her, then I don't know what will. I would tell you to give her time, but I can't bear to see you like this anymore. James, maybe you should just forget about her…"

"It's not that easy, Albus. I can't just forget her. She means everything to me, she is my world. I love her so much, and she hates me."

"Maybe Al is right. Maybe it's time…you moved on, James." Lily said, tenderly. James deserved so much more. He deserved a girl who would love him back.

"You know what, I am going to get my bags ready, and just leave tonight. I need to get away from all of this."

"I think that would be good. You rest, and I will have your bags packed. I will go to your room right now, and get that stuff ready." Lily said, leaving the study, while Albus got up and made James another drink.

She walked down the hallway, and suddenly, she felt herself being pulled in a room. A hand was placed over her mouth before she could scream, and her eyes widened to see Sebastian.

"Whatever happened to our _plan_? You're the one who drilled the damn idea in my head, and then you yourself go off! What the bloody hell!!" Sebastian said, taking his hand off Lily's mouth.

"I'm really sorry, I really needed to talk to James. He's being going through a very hard time, Seb. He is so wonderful…and he deserves better…and…I'm just really sorry, all right?" Lily said, not in any mood to argue.

Sebastian couldn't bear to look at her like that. She was so dejected, so depressed, so sad, for her brother James. Sebastian didn't know what to do, but all he knew was he couldn't bear to see Lily like this. So he did what he always did whenever someone he cared about was sad, he hugged her.

Lily didn't know what possessed him to envelope her in a hug like that, but nonetheless, she smiled and hugged him back. She pulled back, and said,

"Thank you. But what was that for?"

"A great big hug. Whenever someone I care about is sad, I give them a great big hug. It always makes them feel better. And it makes me feel less guilty, because I'm being nice, and you weren't." Sebastian grinned. Lily felt the corners of her own mouth turn up, as she pushed him away.

"I have to get some stuff ready for James, he's leaving tonight." She began walking out of the room, but turned back and said, "I really am sorry about ruining what we had planned, Seb."

"No worries, Lils. In fact, I have an even better idea now, but I will tell you that when the time comes. Right now, you need to get things ready for James. Run along, now." Sebastian said, waving her out. He was sure he heard James say he was going to leave tomorrow, but he wouldn't press Lily to tell him what was going on.

* * *

"All right, James. Here is your bag, and I had Al write Mum and Dad that you will be arriving tonight. They have your room ready, and everything else. You better get going."

James hugged Al, and Lily, said his good-byes to Seb and gave Syria a kiss on the cheek.

"I wouldn't feel good about leaving them if it weren't for you. I know you're going to take care of everyone, right?" James said, to which Syria giggled. He put his hand on the portkey, and he was gone within seconds.

Sebastian pulled Lily to him, and began pressing kisses along her neck. Lily was thoroughly perplexed but she knew better than to show her confusion in front of Albus. She allowed Sebastian to drag her into a room, and once they were out of sight and earshot, she shoved him off.

"Care to explain?" Lily said.

"Hmm…no, not really. But I know you want an explanation, so I will give you one. We're snogging right now, why else would I drag you away from there?"

Lily's mouth formed an 'O'. She nodded, and then messed up her hair a little, when she saw Sebastian do the same. People looked a certain way after a good snog.

"That's a terrible job. A girl's hair never looks like that after _I'm _done with her. You like an amateur snogged you." Sebastian drawled. _And he's back to his arrogant self_, Lily thought, snorting.

Sebastian smirked at her reaction, and pinned her against the wall using one hand. He buried his other hand weaving itself in her hair, and placed his lips on her neck leaving open-mouthed kisses. Lily's eyes closed involuntarily and she chose to ignore her heart ramming in her chest. Suddenly, her hands were free, and Sebastian was no longer embracing her. Instead, he led her to a mirror, and said,

"_This_ is what a girl looks like after Sebastian Malfoy is through with her. But that's not what I dragged you in for. Tomorrow morning, you and I are going to cook for each other. After all, we have to prove our wonderful older siblings wrong in their correct assumptions." Sebastian said.

"That sounds good, but what time? Albus, Rose and Scorpius leave fairly early in the morning." Lily said.

"Five in the morning."

"Five? All right." Lily said, sighing. She was hoping to relax a little on the holiday, but this was necessary too.

"Gosh, Lily. I was merely kidding, we don't have to get up that early." Sebastian said, laughing.

"No, but you're right. They usually leave by eight, so we will have to get up by six-thirty the latest."

"The hell we will."

"But if we don't, they will leave, and what will the point then?" Lily said, once proving to be more practical than Sebastian. He sighed, and said,

"All right, but it's your duty to wake me up. I'm not going to wake up on my own."

"Fine, but don't throw your normal ruddy tantrums. It's bad enough when I have to deal with them at school. And if you even think about saying 'fuck that' tomorrow morning, when I come to wake you up, I will leave you, and you will just look like a fool, all right?" Lily warned, her hands on her hips. Sebastian Malfoy loved his sleep, and hated anyone who tried to take it from him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Sebastian said, fully knowing that Lily would still wake him up, because her reputation was at stake too.

"I mean it, Seb. I'm not kidding." Lily said in a no-nonsense tone. She wasn't going to spend more than five minutes waking him up. If he didn't get up then, well that just wouldn't be her problem.

* * *

The next morning, Lily got up when her damn alarm charm rang at six in the morning.

"Bloody hell. And the worst isn't even here yet." She said. Waking up Sebastian Malfoy in the morning wasn't the easiest task in the world. She quickly brushed her teeth and put her hair in a messy bun. She sighed and walked into Sebastian's room, ready to wake up the damn bull.

"_Lumos._ Psst. Seb. Come on, get up. We have to make breakfast remember?" She said, shaking him gently. What the hell was she doing? She knew shaking gently wouldn't work. Putting her wand on the nightstand, she peeled back the sheets and put her hands on his shoulders. She wouldn't be distracted by his bare chest, no sir, she certainly wouldn't. Taking a deep breath, she shook him again, this time violently, but all he did was turn over, so that he was on his side, with his back facing her. Lily sighed in exasperation, and reached over him.

"Come on, Sebastian. Wake up. We have things to accomplish remember?"

"Mmmm…later. I'm tired." Sebastian groaned.

"Seb, please. You promised."

"The hell I did. Fuck that."

Lily decided to try one last time, and if he wasn't going to get up, then she would leave him. She climbed over him, and as a result, he assumed his original position on his back. She settled over him, her knees astride his hips, and she began beating his chest with her fists.

"GET UP!!!! You said you wouldn't be difficult!" Sebastian immediately caught her wrists, and pulled down, so that her face was inches above his. His eyes ran over her attire, or lack thereof, and smirked at her blush.

"I knew you would make sure I woke up. Actually, I had set a charm for myself for six in the morning, but it was amusing to see what you would do to get me to wake up. So, I let myself fall half asleep, and I was going to come get you if you didn't come. Although, I must say that this outfit isn't what I expected. Leaves very little to the imagina-"

"What are you two doing?" Lily quickly scrambled off of Seb, who let go of her hands. She wanted to get caught by Rose, but not for this.

"Umm, we were just, erm-" Lily began.

"Lily was just waking me up, so that we could make breakfast together like we planned, right, love?" Sebastian filled in, stroking her back and Lily hated how smooth he could be. In replying Rose that is, not in stroking her back…because she wasn't affected by that…or she was trying to convince herself…

"Yes, _love_. Would you like to join us, Rose?" Lily asked pointedly, fully knowing Rose wouldn't.

"No, er, I was just leaving, actually." Rose said, looking sideways, running her hand through her obviously messy-from-sex hair Suddenly, Scorpius came into view.

"Rose, your aunt and uncle aren't here, it's not they will know. Albus and James don't care. Why can't we just go back to your place? I could have gone for at least four more rounds-"

"Shut it, Scorpius. And you said you were tired…" Rose said, tilting her head towards Lily and Seb, who were thoroughly enjoying their older siblings' embarrassment.

"For the tenth time, I never said that…and why do you keep pointing at Lily and Seb? Oh, OH! Well, well, well, Lily and Seb, being a bit naughty, are we? Apparently, these two are moving faster than we thought. How about we leave them alone, Rose? And get back to your house?" and then Scorpius whispered something into Rose's ear, to which Rose furiously blushed, giggled, took Scorp's hand, followed by two faint 'pops'.

Lily and Sebastian waited for a moment, and then burst into laughter, falling onto the bed. After they calmed down, Lily saw the clock, noticing it was already seven.

"We had better get up, so that we can get breakfast ready." Lily said. Sebastian pulled her back, and said,

"It doesn't always have to be about work, Lils. Learn to relax a little."

"I will once they are assured that we are not a fake couple." Lily said, huffing, and climbing out of bed. Sebastian heard her mutter 'stupid Malfoy' on her way out, and followed her downstairs.

* * *

"It's quite romantic, isn't it?" Lily stated, referring to the breakfast she had just prepared. Malfoy just sat on the counter and declared himself 'the taste determiner'. In other words, Lily made all the food, and Seb 'sampled' it and made sure it was 'worth eating'.

"Yep, it would be, if we were a real couple." Sebastian said. "You know, I'm glad we're doing this, what did you call it, 'couple-y stuff'? It gives me good ideas for when I date Juniper."

"Hmmm." Lily nodded. She wasn't going to do things like this with Richard, when she began dating him. Richard wasn't exactly into things like this, and that made a part of Lily sad. But her practicality always kept her romantic nature at bay. Richard could provide her with stability, security, and compatibility, which would easily turn into love later on. Yes, it wasn't the passion she yearned for, but life was never fair. Besides, that passion would require Lily to open up, and she knew that would lead to nothing but hurt. So she was content with what she had in Richard, a friend, confidante, and a trustworthy guy she could see herself falling in love with.

"Everyone should be arriving soon, let's get our act started."

* * *

"So, you and Seb prepared this together?" Albus asked, one eyebrow raised.

Lily nodded smugly, and went over linked her arm through Sebastian's, who just stood smug as a bee, sipping his juice.

Scorpius just looked at his fiancée and best mate, and then back at the feast.

"Potterette, you know it's interesting you say that Sebastian and you prepared this together, because Seb really isn't into cooking." Scorpius said, cocking his head to one side, his words causing Sebastian to choke on his juice. Sebastian had forgotten to tell Lily that, it just didn't cross his mind. He was just happy that Lily came up with a solution to the problem Rose, Albus, and Scorp had created.

"Umm, err, well, you see, Lils convinced me to cook with her, you know, spend quality time and such. It's a good way for us to bond…right, Lils?"

Lily sighed, and shook her head. Sebastian's eyes widened, and he immediately began searching his mind for things to possibly say.

"I think it's time we tell them the truth, Sebastian." Lily solemnly suggested, her head low, as if in shame.

Was she fucking crazy? Sebastian's original opinion of Lily Potter was right, she was a psycho bitch. She was an absolute fucking nutcase. But if he went down, he would fucking take her down to hell with him. No in Merlin's damn name was he going to face this alone. Sebastian was just about to say something, when Lily said,

"Seb and I didn't prepare this meal together. Just as you said, Sebastian doesn't really take well to cooking, and I knew this was a dumb idea. We should have just told you lot upfront."

Albus, Rose, and Scorpius looked as if they got the answer they were finally waiting for.

"Seb was actually my food inspector."

"What?" Albus and Rose cried out loud.

"Yes," Lily continued, "I made the food while Sebastian sampled it and approved."

Sebastian let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He took his thoughts back, Lily wasn't a crazy bitch. She was an intelligent, efficient, and gorgeous girl, who Sebastian counted as one of his best friends.

* * *

After breakfast, Lily had Kreacher clean the table up, and went to her room to get ready. Everyone was already at work, and that was where the second task would take place. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius looked surprised, which meant that they were convinced in Lily's eyes, the ideas were working, and Lily was pleased.

"All right, Seb, we should be on our way. Time for phase two." Lily said.

"Lily, do we really have to do this?" Sebastian asked, he wasn't very comfortable with what Lily had come up with, and to be honest, Seb knew he would just look like a fool. It was a horrible idea.

"Sebastian, do you want to convince them or not?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes, huffed, and nodded. He was just humoring her, he wasn't really going to do what she had planned. They had already discussed this earlier, and Sebastian had held his ground pretty well, or so he thought. Just like he would do now. But apparently, his actions didn't mirror his thoughts.

"Are we going to convince them by simply behaving like we normally would?"

Sebastian looked down, and shook his head. But he wouldn't give in. No one made Sebastian Malfoy do something he wasn't interested in. Especially something that he knew was going to make him look like a buffoon. He wouldn't agree with her in any circumstance.

"So, we are going to go through with this?" Lily asked, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, hands on hips.

Lily looked especially frightening, all bossy like that, so Sebastian nodded. So much for holding his ground.

* * *

"Think about how perfect this is, Seb. He's not in office!" Lily exclaimed. She was excited, really excited. For some odd reason, this just seemed so…fun.

"Why is Scorpius not being in his office a good thing?" Sebastian said, dryly. He couldn't believe he had agreed to this, he really needed to stop hanging around Lily, if this is what they would be doing.

"Because! That way, when he walks in, it will look convincing and real. It's splendid."

"Splendid my ass." Sebastian muttered.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"Nothing, _dear._"

"Good, _darling_."

Both went into Scorp's office, which was unlocked. Lily looked at Sebastian expectantly, and Sebastian knew his time had come. He would officially no longer qualify as a man after this very moment. He held out his hand, and she took it.

"Ready?" Lily said, enjoying rubbing salt in his wounds. After all, Sebastian always riled her up, just to enjoy the look on his face, all these years. It was only fair that she enjoy this.

"Have I grown seven horns, three tails, and a moustache?"

"Has there ever been a time in your life when you _haven't_ been difficult?"

"I'm not the one forcing an innocent person into forgoing their masculinity."

"Dancing with me will not make you any less of a man, Sebastian."

"Yes, but singing love songs about you _while_ dancing with you will."

"Sebastian, please, Scorp will be here any minute. Besides, you agreed to this at home."

"You verbally ambushed me."

"SEBASTIAN!!!" Lily cried in anger, and as always, Sebastian saw those sparks in her eyes, and couldn't help but smile.

"Lily." Sebastian said just as coolly.

"Now that we know each other's names, care to tell me what you two planned on doing here?" Lily and Sebastian turned to see who had spoken.

"Hey, Scorp. I came here for the application."

"That much I assumed, but what is my brother doing here?"

"He had initially come to support me, but now honestly, I don't know what he's doing here." Lily said.

Sebastian's jaw dropped to the floor as he stared at Lily. How dare she insult him in front of his elder brother like that? Lily herself hated being embarrassed in public, and she of all people, should understand that he felt the same. Even if he never told her that. She should have just known. Well, he wasn't going to be the only one embarrassed. He let go of Lily's hand, and apparated out of St. Mungo's.

Lily sighed, figuring she probably shouldn't have embarrassed him in frong of his brother like that, but he was being difficult. She wouldn't be the one to apologize. It was his fault for agreeing to something, and then not following through with it. Lily hated it when anyone did that. But now that she was here, she might as well get some things accomplished.

"Scorp, I came here for an application." Lily said.

"I was wondering when you would come, Lily." Scorp chuckled. Applications weren't even due until May the next year, and most people didn't even pick up an application until late March, but Lily Potter was the girl who started studying for her NEWT's in her fifth year, the day of her last OWL, so this didn't surprise him in the least. He handed her the application, and with a wave of her wand, she filled it out.

"I already arranged a copy of my NEWT scores to be sent here. And you do know, that while I will take them at the regular time, I will be taking them at Beauxbaton's."

"You still want to do that?" Scorpius asked, thoroughly puzzled. Had she discussed this with Seb, because surely Sebastian wouldn't have agreed to her going through with this.

"Yes, is there any reason for me not to?"

"No, I was just wondering, that you and Seb would probably break up, because I know he won't agree to a long distance relationship."

Lily bit her lip, the thought had crossed her mind earlier, but she figured her and Sebastian would be 'broken up' by then. It wouldn't have interfered with her plans, or his, whatever his plans may be.

"Well, Sebastian and I haven't talked about that yet, Scorp."

"Really, that's hard to believe, since you and Seb aren't ones to make hasty decisions, and you both usually think things through. After all, 'there's no point in a relationship that will end', right?" Scorpius said, using Lily's words from when he went to school with her; it was her excuse to not date.

"Scorp, I have to go. I will see you later, all right?" Lily said in exasperation.

"All right, and good luck on your _lover's _spat." Scorpius said, knowing Lily would need it. But it still bothered him that Lily and Seb hadn't talked about this. It wasn't like either of them to act like that, and this only made his suspicions stronger. He would have to pay a visit to Rose, and then Albus…or perhaps, it would be better to see Albus first, because if he saw Rose first, he would never get around to seeing Albus.

Lily left, pondering her conversation with Scorpius. But Scorpius did make a valid point, and she would talk to Sebastian about this…of course, that would require her to apologize for Sebastian to even consider hearing her out, but she wasn't above doing that. Because this time, she had something to gain, and she could deal with her pride for once. Besides, it's not like she would really mean it. She would just let him think he won, because she knew she was right. A nap would do her well, she figured.

In all her thoughts, Lily didn't even realize that her and Sebastian _did_ do a couple-y thing, even after Scorpius pointed it out…but then again, Lily was so used to her 'lover's spats' with Sebastian, that perhaps it didn't seem anything out of the ordinary.

* * *

A/N: All right, this is the longest chapter I have written so far. It went through four rewrites, and lots of changes. I had a lot of fun, hahaha, but it certainly wasn't what I originally planned…Actually, I was planning on them playing in the rain, and then kissing, but this just seemed more realistic. Because that scene was just too sweet for my liking, and these couple-y things aren't supposed to convince Rose, Al, and Scorp. In fact, they are only supposed to confirm their suspicions, and I don't know, I seem to be doing that a lot, I plan something, and end up writing something else entirely. But don't worry, there is a little surprise for my amazing readers in the next chapter, something I think they have been waiting for a very, very, very long time, which I hope you guys will like!! Any guesses as to what will happen? And no, the story isn't ending, not any time soon at least, since there are many things needing to be revealed.

Review Reply to nazzhearts: Thank you so much!! Yes, yes, there is more drama ahead, I have a few things planned!! Stay tuned!!


	21. Meaningful Truths

A/N: Now for chapter 21. Thank you to jessadoro, Calcetera, Cottonpaw, naazhearts (I'm sorry I spelled your name wrong, I double checked to spell it right this time), Leilalys, merkandtwisty, Misssyl, ceh92, Horrible Holly, and dbgothicprincess for reviewing! This chapter is has been highly anticipated by me. I have never been more anxious or nervous to write a chapter for any story as I have been this chapter, and I really do pray I did justice. I hope I don't disappoint, and this will be my favorite chapter for sure, because things get a little steamy…

When Lily woke up, she saw it was already dark outside. _I probably missed dinner_. She went downstairs, and into the kitchen, hunting for frozen yogurt. She took it out and conjured a spoon, sauntering into the living room. She tried her level best to keep a straight face, but didn't succeed, and was glad Sebastian didn't notice her giggling.

Rose was currently trying to teach Sebasian how to dance it seemed. _Oh, the irony_, Lily said to herself, _if only they knew what happened earlier today_. Nonetheless, she took her seat next to Hugo, and whispered,

"What exactly is going on? And where's Al?"

"Al is spending the night with Mandy. And Rose is trying to teach Sebastian to dance for the big New Year's Eve party the Malfoys throw every year. Quite entertaining, actually."

_Entertaining, indeed_, Lily thought. She gave the rest of her frozen yogurt to Hugo, who gladly accepted it.

"Let's try again, Rose. Now I put my left leg in front, right?" Sebastian asked, and grimaced the minute he saw Rose's expression. Rose was trying hard to be patient, but Sebastian just didn't seem to have a knack for ballroom dancing. The past years he had the excuse of being underage and single, but now he was 'taken' and seventeen. This was exactly why he always broke up with girls right before Christmas, so he wouldn't have to take them to the damn ball. Again he cursed Malfoy traditions of having a ball on New Year's Eve. Was it really necessary?

"Hey, Rose! I have an idea! How about you dance with Scorpius, and Lily dances with Sebastian? That way, you're actually dancing with your actual partners!!" burst Hugo. Lily gaped at him. Really, did he always have to screw everything up? Why couldn't he just keep his bloody mouth shut? If he hadn't sent those damn letters, Lily and Sebastian wouldn't even be in this mess. But Lily had nothing to worry about, she could always count on Rose to shoot down Hugo's ideas.

"That's a great idea, Hugh!" Rose exclaimed, as Scorpius pried his fiancée from his brother, obviously agreeing to the idea as well. Plus, Scorpius knew that this was the way the tension could be eased between Lily and Sebastian.

_So much for counting on Rose_, Lily thought._ The world is coming to it's end, when Rose Weasley actually approves of Hugo's ideas. Isn't this just grand?_

Sebastian made a face, and reluctantly let go of Rose. Lily stood up, and walked to place herself directly in front of Sebastian. She looked him directly in the eyes, and she saw that he hadn't forgiven her yet.

Why the hell would _he _forgive _her_? She was the one who embarrassed him in front of his older brother. She was the one who was making ridiculous demands. She was the one who was…getting her way, after now they were going to dance in front of Rose and Scorpius now, that's what she wanted, right? _Stupid Pottter, why does she always get what she wants?_ It wasn't fair. _Now, you know that's not true, Sebastian, or have you forgotten already what James and Albus showed you? _And there was that retarded, unnecessary, truthful voice, that always haunted him whenever he said something bad about Lily…although, it was much stronger now than it had been in the past years.

"Okay, put your hand on my waist, it's not supposed to be on my lower back. Now, hold my hand, no, not like that!" Lily said in irritation. She tried to twist Sebastian's hand, who of course, didn't relent. She really just wished he would let her guide him, but no, he was Capricornus fucking Sebastian damn Malfoy, who would always do things his way.

"I know how to dance, I am not a moron."

Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she didn't want to lose respect in front of Rose and Scorpius.

"Just let me lead for now, Sebastian." Lily let out, trying to sound as calm as she could.

"I am the male, I am supposed to lead. And you implied I was the one who didn't know how to dance. Hah!"

"Well, obviously, you're not doing a very good job of leading." Lily spat.

Rose and Scorpius stopped dancing, and just watched their fight while Hugo just continued to eat the frozen yogurt, looking from Lily to Sebastian, and back to Lily again.

"Well, that's how it is, take it or leave it, Potter." Sebastian shot back.

"You're right, you're absolutely right," Sebastian smirked at this, "I don't have to take this." Lily said, leaving the living room. Sure, she was overreacting, but she really wasn't in the mood for this. She had a lot to deal with right now, especially since everyone was going to the Burrow in a couple of days, to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after there. Her parents were coming home in two days, and she would have to tell them her career decision. She ran to her room, throwing herself on the bed, crying.

* * *

"Seb, why would you be so mean to her? Especially since you two had that fight this morning. Why don't you just apologize?" Scorpius asked, and Sebastian just looked in the other direction.

"Scorp, it wasn't really Seb's fault, Lily overreacted to tell the truth. She's probably just stressed out, as always, taking things too seriously, over thinking things. You know, I really wish Al was here. He knows how to calm her down when it comes to these things. I suppose I will go talk to her now. I'm sorry we had to cut this short. Hugo, take Scorpius, Sebastian, and Syria home. I will probably just spend the night here, talking to her. It's so sad, but-" Rose stopped herself. Scorpius didn't really the whole story, or not like Albus and Rose did at least.

"No, Rose. Seb should go talk to her." Scorpius said, after Rose's immediate silence. "After all, they had a fight this morning, and this is an excellent opportunity for them to make up. Come on, you, Hugo, Syria, and me can head back to your place. Let them sort things out for themselves."

"No…No way I am going to apologize to her. She was the one with the attitude. She was-" Sebastian was cut off by his sister, who had been watching the whole thing.

"Right. You would have been better off if you would have just let her lead. Your hand was on her lower back instead of her waist…or maybe you just did that to hold her closer, I don't know. I know it's hard for you to believe, but it's true, you're wrong, she's right."

Sebastian couldn't believe it, Syria was taking Lily's side. And since when did Syria know how to dance? Then he remembered bloody Ungermeyer.

"Actually, she has a point. If you would have just listened to her, you would have realized that she was just trying to make a better dancer out of you, which in all honestly, would have been best for you, so that you don't look like a fool at your own party." And apparently, Scorpius was too.

"Scorp, give Seb a break. But I do think you're right, perhaps it's best if Seb talks to Lily. How about the rest of us go out for ice cream, eh? Let them work it out." Rose said, and Sebastian took this as his cue to walk upstairs, and go talk to his 'girlfriend'. And yet, that stupid irrational part of him, the part that felt guilty, was…dare he say it, relieved…

* * *

Lily heard a knock on the door. She got up, wondering why Rose didn't just 'Alohomora' the door.

"Rose, I hope you didn't-" Lily said, opening the door, shocked to see Sebastian instead of her cousin. "Sebastian, what are you doing here? And where is Rose? I would-"

Sebastian put a finger to her lips, basking in her appearance. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair unkempt, and her lips slightly swollen. He had never felt so guilty in his life. He had felt bad whenever he had made her cry in the past, but this was one thousand times worse. Lily had never looked so broken.

"I came to say I'm sorry, Lils. I am really, very, sorry. I acted like a jerk, and I really should have listened to you. You were right and I was wrong."

Lily stood agape in shock; did he really just let go of his ego and come to apologize to her?

"Can I come in?" Sebastian said, grinning at Lily's embarrassed expression as soon as the words left his lips. "And I know what you're thinking, and I didn't come here on my own, Rose and Scorpius sort of convinced me to come. You know what an ego problem I have, right? I just-oh, Lily. Please don't start crying again, that's not what I was aiming for. Lily, please."

But Lily couldn't stop. She just felt so guilty, it was all her fault, and here was poor Sebastian, apologizing because she embarrassed him, not once, but twice.

"You don't have to be sorry, Seb. I should be sorry. I have been so rude, and you still came to apologize. I really didn't mean any of things I said earlier. There has just been so much going on lately, and my parents…home soon…not proud." Lily went to throw herself on her bed again, when she found that something had a hold on her arm.

"Lily, you know, issues like these are much easier to deal with when you have someone you can talk them over with. Tonight, let's just forget about our plan, and what Rose, Scorpius, and Albus think of our relationship or whatever. Tonight, how about two friends just talk? But wait, I will be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Sebastian, where are you going?" Lily asked, not liking this one bit. He apparated from her room, and within a minute apparated back, with firewhiskey and two glasses.

"I'm not drinking, Sebastian. You know I don't drink."

"Bullocks. You always drink with James and Al, don't think I don't know of your little escapades in the Three Broomsticks." To this, Lily laughed.

"All right, all right. Pour me a glass."

"Good, but just so you know, I was going to pour you a glass even if you were going to be difficult." And that brought Lily's mind to the conversation earlier, when she had called him difficult.

"Seb, I am sorry for calling you difficult earlier. I didn't mean it, I-"

"And I told _you_, tonight, we aren't two people trying to impress the crushes of our life. We aren't trying to convince our siblings whether we are a real couple or not. We aren't the Lily Luna Potter and Capricornus Sebastian Malfoy who always fight over petty things, just because they enjoy getting each other riled up. No, tonight, we are just Lily and Seb, two friends who will talk, be there for each other, and drink their sorrows away. Whatsay, Lily?"

She smiled and nodded.

"So, tell me, exactly what is bothering you, and no, I won't tell anyone, not even Rose or Scorpius or Hugo, or anyone else. I just want you to talk, Lily. Get it out. Trust me, it helps." Sebastian said, after each had a few drinks, with a smile that melted Lily's heart.

"Well, you know I want to be a Healer, right?" Lily asked, trying to sort out her thoughts in her head. She didn't expect Sebastian to understand, but if he made the efforts to come talk to her, then the least she could do was show that she trusted him enough to confide in him. Which was true, because no matter how much she denied it, Lily found it easier to talk to Sebastian than she did most people.

"Yeah, and honestly, I think you will make a great one. You have all the qualities, you know. You're patient, courteous, and so warm." Sebastian said, meaning every word.

"Yeah, well, thank you for that. But you know James is a professional quidditch player and Albus is an Auror?"

Sebastian didn't understand what this had to do with her crying, but he merely nodded and let her continue.

"Seb, don't you get it? I am such a disappointment! Look at James and Al! They are following in my parents' footsteps. Then there's me who goes off and becomes a Healer." and then Lily started crying again. Sebastian tentatively put his back on her hand, and when she leaned into him, he put his other arm around her, and she just buried her face in his chest.

"Lily, they _are_ proud of you. It's obvious in their faces every time you're mentioned. You have no reason to feel this way."

"You don't understand. You haven't seen the look on Mum's face when James broke her record. She was so proud of him. The world record that she set was broken by none other than her own son. And when James got the Man of the Match award, he gave it to Mum, saying that it was all for her. You don't know the happiness in Dad's voice, whenever Albus always comes first in a practical, or when his supervisors mention that the only person who can compete with Al is none other than Dad himself. Albus excels in everything, and as far as all the written exams are concerned, he scored even higher than Dad, since Dad didn't have attend school his final year. They always make our parents so proud. I won't ever make them proud in that way. I will be never be good enough."

"Lily, how can you say that? Yes, James and Albus followed in your parents' footsteps when it came to their careers. But Lily, you made them proud in a way Al and James never did and never could. You scored higher than both of your brothers in all your classes and OWLs, and you didn't even brag about it. You're the only child who has been appointed a Head at Hogwarts. I have seen the way you take care of Al and James. You're there when they need you, as a friend, as a sister, as an advisor. You take care of them, Lily, in a way, that they will never be able to take care of you, just because…men aren't good at things like that."

"Actually, Al is. He's much more sensitive than he lets on, you know. But don't tell him I said that. He will kill me." Lily said, smiling.

"Well, at least, you smiled. You know, you don't look good when you're crying. It takes away from your charm."

"Or lack thereof, Seb. I hate insincere flattery. You don't have to be nice to me, just because you feel sorry for me. And you certainly don't have to compliment my physical appearance, especially since it's really not worth anything."

Sebastian couldn't believe her. She was being ridiculous. Did she really not think that she wasn't pretty? Had the girl ever looked into a mirror?

"Lily! Are you serious? I'm not being insincere in the least. You really are beautiful, you know. Why else do you think I try to so hard to rile you up?"

"What are you talking about, Sebastian?"

"You look even better when you're angry. It's…endearing in a way."

"Why, thank you…and you probably already know this, but you're the best looking in our year. Don't make fun of me for saying that." Lily added, as soon as his familiar smirk came back on his face.

"Looks aren't going to get me through life, though. Not with Malfoy attached to my name anyway." Sebastian said sourly.

Lily put an arm around Sebastian's neck, and said,

"Seb, trust me, once people realize what a dedicated, hard-working, and kind person you are, they will like you. And then they will be ashamed for having such a low level of thinking. I know this from personal experience. You're a wonderful person, Sebastian. I have seen you with Syria, and to be honest, it surprised me a little. But now I can't imagine you any different. You're not the arrogant, stuck-up, ridiculously good-looking man that you project to the world. You're just a regular guy who wants to find his place in life. You know, I'm like that too, now that I think about it."

"Lily, Lily, Lily, how many times have we been over this? You are like a female version of me. That's why I know you so well…I understand you better than you think."

"You do, Seb, you do. More than I give you credit for, and I'm sorry for that. Perhaps that's why we get along so well." Lily said, taking a swig of her own.

"Or it could just be astrology. That's what your Aunt Audrey would say. Aren't you a Capricorn? And I'm a Taurus, so we're supposed to be the best possible combination of Earth signs."

Lily threw her head back and laughed.

"She-would-say-that-wouldn't-she?" Lily let out between peals of laughter. "That's what she said with Rose and Scorpius were perfect for each other, Rose being a Scorpio and Scorpius being a Pisces…and remember that whole bit on Rose being lucky for him, since the star he was named after was her sun star…or something like that…ahh, Audrey and her astrological obessions."

"You know, you're a thousand times prettier when you smile, Lily. And I still don't understand why your self-esteem is so low. Do you have any idea how many guys would die to simply go on one date with you?"

"Sebastian, all those guys care about is my name, not me. People just judge me based on my last name, no one sees Lily. The real Lily. I just want someone to see _me. Not Lily Potter_."

"Someone will, Lily. One day, you're going to find the perfect guy. He's not going to care that your hair is half curly and half straight when you wake up in the morning. He won't mind that you can be so damn bossy at times. He will appreciate how hard you work to keep everyone happy. He will stick up for you since you hardly stick up for yourself. He will know that you prefer frozen yogurt over ice cream any day. He will make you breakfast in bed, for no reason, just because he knows you are a true romantic at heart, despite how practical and sensible you seem. He will know that underneath that cool, calm, collected face, lies a sea of emotions. He will take the time to show that enjoying yourself every now and then is not a bad thing. Someone who will not care that you are Harry Potter's daughter. He will just see you as Lily, only Lily. You will find that perfect guy, Lily, because you deserve nothing but the best. And for your sake, Lily, I really hope you find that guy. The one who will love you like you deserved to be loved. Not like that git, Andrews. And…I'm… I'm sorry for making fun of you for not dating so much in the past. You have every right to be selective, but I know one day, you will find him, your perfect guy. And to him, you _will _just be Lily…not Lily Potter."

Lily was shocked, thoroughly shocked. She had no idea that Sebastian knew so much about her. She blinked to keep the tears from falling again. Only, they weren't tears of hurt. Sebastian's words that touched her in a way no one else had. But when she realized what she had said, she immediately regretted it. She had no right to complain about people only noticing her last name. Her brothers and cousins had to be careful from day one, as to who their real friends were. But her worries were nothing compared to what Scorpius, Sebastian, and Syria probably had to go through.

"Oh, Seb. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought up the last name thing. I have no right to complain. It's been so much worse for you and your family. I am so sorry, Seb."

Sebastian let go of her, and drank another glass of firewhiskey. He poured himself another, and chugged that too. When he reached for a another, Lily stopped him.

"You don't have to be sorry, Lily. It's okay. It's all my father's fault. People aren't going to like you if you attempt to kill the world's most respected wizard."

"Sebastian, listen to me, your father wasn't a killer then, and he isn't a killer now. He only tried to protect his family, and that takes guts. If there's anything I have learned my parents, and my aunt and uncle, it's that people aren't perfect, and people shouldn't expect them to be."

"I could say the same thing to you, you don't always have to be so together. It's okay for you to let loose a little here and there."

"Enough about me. You said it earlier, we are sharing each other's sorrows, right? So I had my time, and now it's yours. Sebastian, you don't need to feel guilty about the past, Sebastian. No one is to blame for what happened, especially not a sixteen year old boy, who was just terrified for his family."

A sardonic laugh escaped Sebastian's lips, as he took a sip of his glass.

"It's amusing, isn't it? If only Astoria felt that way."

"Astoria?" Lily asked.

"My mother. Astoria Greengrass Malfoy. The woman who married my father, thinking it would probably help her climb the ladders in the Pureblood circle. But one day, she left, just like that. I was only nine, you know. That's why Scorp and I spent Christmas here that year, because my father didn't want us to be around when he sulked anyway, and when Al invited us over, it was just the icing on the bloody cake. I need another drink." Sebastian said, sighing.

He poured himself glass after glass, despite Lily's attempts to stop him. Then in slurred speech, he said,

"You know, Lily, all I ever wanted was for her to tell me she loves me. Was a hug and kiss too much to ask? That's why I need Juniper so badly. I don't want become Draco. I don't want the love of my life to walk out, after twelve years of marriage. I don't want to be alone, like my dad. Juniper can give me that stability that Rose gave Scorpius. You know, I wish I was like Scorpius in so many ways. He wasn't afraid, Lily, he wasn't afraid to fall in love the way I am. But it hurts so much, Lily. What she did when she left us, it hurts so much. She was so selfish, in every way possible. 'I have to live my life, Sebastian. I really can't have a family tying me down like this. Scorpius, take care of your siblings, and Mum will be back soon.' Hah! Nine years isn't soon. But you know, Lily, if she asked for forgiveness, if she really truly wanted to come back, I think…I think I would. There's still that little boy in me, that just wants a hug from his mother."

Her heart ached for Seb. She had seen how sometimes, _he_ would act like an older brother to Scorpius. He was the rock, for Draco, for Scorpius, for Syria, and now, he had become hers. And Lily felt guilty for every single fight she had had with him. When she thought about all that he and his family had gone through, she couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes once again.

"Lily, if you're going to cry again, then all this time has been pretty much wasted. I already told you, your parents-"

"This has nothing to do with my parents or me, for that matter. Sebastian, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, for everything you've gone through. I'm so sorry for everything."

Sebastian couldn't believe it. Here was this girl, crying not for herself, but for _him_. Never before had Sebastian seen such compassion. _The tears that had formed in my eyes are shedding from her's. She's crying for me, _Sebastian couldn't get this out of his head. _He_ came to comfort _her_, yet look what was happening now. She was hurting for him, and Sebastian proceeded to wipe her tears, taking her face in his hands. And when he looked into those beautiful brown eyes, he did the only thing that he could do in a moment like this.

He kissed her.

She closed her eyes as his lips came in contact with hers. Sebastian lost himself in Lily, closing his own eyes. Her arms immediately rose to his neck, effectively bringing him closer. Lily had been kissed before, but nothing like this. His hands moved to her waist, and it felt like heaven. Her whole body was on fire it seemed, as he continued to assault her with his mouth. She couldn't help but moan when his hands came in contact with her bare stomach as her shirt rose up.

Sebastian took full advantage of this, and plunged his tongue into her mouth. As they battled for dominance, Lily's hands worked the buttons of his shirt, and he heard his shirt hit the floor. He pulled her closer, as she ran her hands up and down his chest, this time, making him moan.

Lily had to pull back for air, and Sebastian left a trail of kisses down her neck. He lifted her shirt up, and let it land wherever as he threw it, cursing that she had an undershirt on, but nonetheless continued his trail of kisses now, reaching her collar bone. He felt Lily pull him, and he tumbled onto the bed with her. With one last swift kiss, he buried his face in her neck, and whispered,

"I love you, Lily."

Lily kept one arm around his neck, and gently stroked his back with the other, both Lily and Sebastian falling into a peaceful slumber.

A/N: No, no, the story definitely doesn't end here. Lots more to come. But did you like it? I certainly did, because they finally kissed. Although, I don't think I wrote the kissing scene well, but in my defense, I haven't been kissed yet, so I don't really know how? But I really did try the best I could…so forgive me if it sucked. Because I just based it off what I have seen in movies and read in books. And again, after I had introduced Astoria earlier, a lot of people didn't like her, which I can understand, but like Draco said, what his children know isn't the whole story…just thought I would add that. Other than that, like it, hate it? Please leave a review, it would certainly make me happy!


	22. Meaningless Kisses

A/N: I would like to thank OurLoveIsForever, ceh92, bellibella, Faerie0975, Cottonpaw, Calcetera, midnight child 13, creative-writing-girl13, merkandtwisty, Misssyl, and naazhearts for the amazing reviews! Thank you also to the people who added this to their favorites and alerts. And I'm so SORRY for not updating yesterday, college is just really stressful, I'm running on like 1.5 hours of sleep. I'm so sorry. And it won't happen again, I promise.

Now onto chapter 22.

* * *

_She was in his arms, and Sebastian had never felt happier. He knew he belonged with her, and she was meant for him. He couldn't see her face, as his head rest on top of hers, but he knew how he felt about her. Suddenly, she pulled away, taking Sebastian's hand in her own, running through the foggy forest, and it frustrated him that he couldn't see at all what she looked like. They kept running, until she stopped suddenly. She let go of his hand, and the fog cleared, revealing his family, all of his family. Syria was in Draco's arms, laughing, and Scorpius looked happier than ever with Rose. But the best part was Astoria, standing there, her arms wide open, waiting for him. Sebastian ran into his mother's arms, not like the seventeen year old he was, but like a little boy, no older than nine. He cried tears of joy, for his family was finally complete. He looked to thank her, his dream girl, but he couldn't see her around. In the distance, a blurred figure in white was running away. He kept running after her, only to lose her into the fog of the wilderness. _

Sebastian woke up, in futile hopes that she would be there. He hadn't dreamt of his dream girl for a while now, but it satisfied him, to know that she still held a place in his heart. Finding the bed strangely cold, he looked around, he was so sure it had been warmer earlier. But then again, he was thoroughly drunk last night, despite Lily's attempts to stop him. He wondered what his shirt was doing on the floor. Had he fallen asleep in Lily's room? Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember anything after he mentioned his mum. He chose to forget about her, he chose not to dwell on what she had done, because there was no way he would ever, ever, ever let go. His dad could be fooled, and Scorpius had the soft heart to welcome her back if she asked, but Sebastian would never relent to that. They had managed fine for the past nine years, since she left, and they could manage just fine for the rest of their lives. _And yet, you still hang on to those last words from her_. He would not. He could not. He closed his eyes, and deliberately pushed Astoria's memories out of his mind, still fresh from the dream and his thoughts.

"Sleep well?" Sebastian opened his eyes, to see Lily Potter standing in front of him with a secretive smile on her face, and some green potion in a vial. He glanced at his clock, it was four thirty, and in the afternoon apparently…since there was light outside. Had he really slept that long?

"Yeah, but my head is pounding. I really should have listened to you when you tried to stop me." Sebastian answered. His throat was dry, and he really wished to take a cold shower.

"Yes, yes, it certainly would have done you well to listen to me, but I'm not the person who can change Sebastian Malfoy's mind, and I can live with that. Here, drink this."

"What is it?"

"Goblin bogies. What do you think it is? It's a hangover potion, Seb. Now, I know it tastes horrible, but just drink it in one swift motion."

Sebastian reached for the vial. _Damn, it even smells foul_, he thought. He raised the vial to his lips, and spat it out at once.

"What the bloody hell is this shit?" He screamed.

Lily just crossed her arms and said,

"Don't you daresay I didn't warn you, because I told you upfront, it tastes disgusting and that you need to drink it all at once. Now, I knew this would happen, so I had concocted some extra. However, this time, you will not waste my potion. You will drink it in swift motion as I instructed earlier. And before you start your 'I'm not touching that shit' speech, either you drink my potion and get over your damn hangover, or stay miserable for the rest of the day. What do you pick?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes, and looked outside the window.

"That's what I thought, Malfoy. Now, I am going to get the potion, and you will stay right here." With that, Lily turned on her heel, and left. Sebastian clutched his head and groaned. He tried closing his eyes, but that didn't help either. He sighed, and fell back on the bed.

"So, Mr. Lovestruck, how are things with you?" Scorpius asked his little brother.

"_Scorp!!! _What are you doing here anyway?" Sebastian groaned.

"You're such a pansy. Who would have thought, Sebastian Malfoy, the lad who has girls falling for him right and left, eating out of his hands back and forth, would be lost in the thoughts of one girl? And Rose and I didn't take a lunch break today, so we got off early. " Scorpius said, bursting into laughter after the words left his lips.

"Scorp, will you please stop giving him a hard time?" Rose came, and Sebastian's red face visibly lightened.

"And I must say, Sebastian, that I was pretty impressed with the way you and Lily talked last night. Scorpius and I had checked on you two last night, in the beginning and right before you guys went to bed. But I do have to ask you something, did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what, Rose?"

"What you told Lily, did you mean it?"

"What are you talking about, Rose? Oh, the stuff about my mum, why would I lie about that?" Sebastian really couldn't recall anything he has said to Lily that would be of any importance.

"You told her you loved her, Seb." Rose said softly.

Sebastian searched his mind…he honestly couldn't remember when he told her that. But he knew she didn't make anything of it. And besides, he was drunk, people do stupid things when they are drunk.

"Yeah, I guess I did mean it…" Sebastian said, causing a huge smile to appear on Rose's and Scorpius's faces.

"Sebastian, I have a confession to make. On behalf of your brother, Albus, and me, that is. We thought that there was something fishy going on, with you and Lily. But, after last night, I have to take my words back. We're sorry, Seb. And we really are glad about the two of you." Rose said, grinning.

"I…really don't know what to say, Rose. But I'm glad Lily and I cleared up any misunderstandings you lot had." Sebastian said, trying his best to appear calm on the outside. He really wished he could just laugh at the irony of the situation. Rose and Scorpius left for the office, and a few minutes later, Lily arrived.

"So, you guess who just confessed?"

Lily made a face, asking Sebastian,

"What are you talking about? And here, drink this." Lily handed him the new vial.

"I'm talking about Rose and Scorpius, they agreed to having suspicions about us being a couple. But last night's performance convinced them that we're a real couple. And it smells better."

"Well, obviously it would, you told me you loved me. And yeah, I put vanilla extract in it, to offset the smell and taste of bitter gourd, and it will also perk up your system."

"Well, we were pretending to be a couple last night, weren't we? And thank you for the vanilla." Sebastian said, drinking the vial in one swift motion.

"Here, let me take that, and I had Kreacher make you some coffee. I will be right back with it. I'm trying to keep from giving him too many orders and what not…you never know when Rose Weasley watching you, especially when it concerns the treatment of House Elves." Lily said, leaving the room, suddenly angry…and she didn't like it one bit.

* * *

After awhile, Lily came back with some coffee in her hands.

"Thank you." Sebastian said, taking the cup.

"So, you're saying that we put on quite the show last night?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Apparently, I mean we have tried lots of things lately, but apparently we just had to be ourselves." Sebastian said. "Because there was nothing fake about what you or I said last night. Except for the part about me loving you, that was just me being drunk. And I'm sorry about that."

"Right, well," Lily said, "you don't remember anything else, Sebastian?"

" Lily, I was pretty smashed last night. I don't remember anything past the first time you mentioned my mother."

Lily nodded. She reached for his shirt.

"Do you know of anything else that might have convinced them?"

"No?" Sebastian asked, confused, wondering what had gotten into Lily.

"Never mind, Sebastian." Lily said. _He doesn't remember anything_, she thought to herself, and a part of her was…sad. She shrugged it off. After a long silence, she said, "Thank you, for talking to me last night."

"Lily, we're friends, and that's what friends do for each other. You don't need to thank me."

"Sebastian, are you _sure_ you don't remember anything else?"

"No, Lily. Really, I don't…should I?"

"No, just forget about it." Lily said, deciding to finally let it go. If he didn't remember, then it didn't mean anything to him. Not that it meant anything to her…because it didn't… Lily Potter just didn't go around kissing boys, that's why she was bothered. And perhaps dropping the kiss was the best thing to do.

"Lily?" Sebastian said, after Lily had begun brooding, for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Hmm?"

"Can I have my shirt? You've been holding it for ten minutes."

"You're a wizard, aren't you? There's always the _Accio_ spell." Lily spat back. All right, so she had overreacted, and it was nothing but for a meaningless kiss. But nonetheless, she threw Malfoy's shirt in his face, storming out.

_What is going on with her? _Sebastian showered and apparated over to Hugo's house. He heard the shower running, and stood in front of the bathroom door.

"Hey Hugo, you wanna go grab a bite, mate?"

"Seb, I'm a little busy right now." Hugo said, opening the door, and peeking his head out.

"Really, because I thought you would be floating on the clouds, I mean it's not like I can hear the shower running or anything. Once you're ready, let's go to Barista's and Brooms?"

"Well, it won't just be the two of us…"

Sebastian was about to ask what Hugo was blabbing about when Ricola stepped out of the shower, in nothing but a towel covering her.

"Hey Sebastian!!! How have you been doing? Guess what, I'm back from Germany!!"

"I would have never guessed, Ricola. Not with you standing right in front of me, at least." Sebastian drawled. God, she was so stupid. Sebastian never really understood what Hugo saw in her. She was ridicously good-looking, there was no doubt in that, but she was…not exactly what most would define as intelligent, but then again, neither was Hugo. But Sebastian knew better than to mention that Hugo just needed to get over his commitment issues with Beth…it was obvious they were meant to be together. If only Hugo could get that through his thick head.

"Sebastian, are you being sarcastic? Or are you really just that daft? To not really understand that if I'm right here, I can't be in Germany?"

"You know, Ricola, it's better to appear a fool and keep your mouth shut than to open it and remove all doubt." Sebastian said, amused at the confused blonde.

"Seb, mate…I'm here too."

"Yeah, well, how about you and Ricola finish…whatever it was" Sebastian gestured with his hands, "And I will go see if anyone else is available."

"All right, mate. Take care and don't do anything I would…not do…or something like that…I want ice cream." Hugo said, and on that note, Sebastian got ready to apparatte, when he saw Scorpius arriving with his trunks downstairs.

"Scorp, where are you going?"

"Rose's grandparents, her muggle ones I mean. Mum and Dad want us to come over, since Hermione's parents want to see Rose and Hugo. Syria's coming along too, give her a different environment, and she hasn't had much time to spend with Rose, so she can do that too. That's why Rose and I didn't take a lunch break, so we could get off early and leave."

"HUGO!! WHAT IS THAT WHORE DOING IN YOUR ROOM NAKED? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DON'T JUST GET OVER YOUR DAMN COMMITMENT ISSUES, AND MAKE UP WITH BETH!!!!! You're being such an idiot, but then again, that's second-no, that's first nature to you, isn't it?" Rose yelled.

"I'm going to go make sure she doesn't kill him." Scorpius said, suddenly worried for Hugo's well-being, running up the stairs.

"I'll come with you, because she might just kill him. That ginger temper…" Sebastian said, following his brother.

"It's not going away, bro. It's probably the same with Lily."

"And it only gets worse…this is nothing. You remember, in my second year, and your fourth, when they gave us warts…you know where…"

"Sebastian, I say this because I love you, don't ever mention that again, yeah?"

Sebastian nodded, just wincing at the memory.

* * *

Lily just sat in her room, replaying the events of last night, over and over again in her head. _Malfoy was drunk, and you had had a little to drink as well. It was just in the heat of the moment, it's not like it meant anything. Come on, Lily you've kissed plenty of guys,_ _**but none like that**_. And cue annoying alter-ego. Lily sighed, rubbing her head.

"If he doesn't remember it, why am I wasting my time over a stupid kiss? It's not like people who hate each other can't have a good kiss…" She said aloud.

_**But you don't hate him anymore.**_

"No, but that doesn't mean I like him like that."

"And my original opinion of you being completely bonkers is restored. Shall we reserve a spot at Mungo's? And I don't mean in the form of a Healer, Lily." Sebastian said, chuckling.

Lily panicked, how much had he heard?

"Erm, how much exactly did you hear?"

"I didn't…I just got here and I saw you talking to yourself."

"Oh." Lily said, sighing in relief. _Good._

"Yeah, so, any plans for lunch, or dinner rather?" Sebastian asked, his head facing down, almost ashamed. He didn't want her to go psycho like the morning.

"Umm, no, not really. I didn't bother making a big lunch since Syria, Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius just left. It's just you and me, really. Al is still staying over with Mandy, and truth be told, he will probably stay with her until we all go to the Burrow tomorrow night."

"Do you want to go to Barista's and Brooms?" Sebastian asked, kicking the air.

"Yeah, I guess." Lily said, shrugging. "Just give me ten minutes, I'm gonna change, is that okay?"

"No, we both know 'ten minutes' is three hours."

"Sebastian, would you like to eat alone?"

Sebastian shook his head.

"Well then, give me ten minutes. I will be right back." Lily sang.

And sure enough, she was back in ten minutes.

"Ready?" Sebastian asked.

"I sure am." Lily said, as they apparated to Barista's and Brooms.

* * *

"What would you like to order?" A waitress asked them, batting her eyelashes at Sebastian. Lily didn't like it, not one bit…he should at least have the decency to _act_ like her boyfriend. She didn't like that feeling in the pit of her stomach either…

"A steak, well done, and butterbeer."

"And you?" She asked Lily in a bored voice.

"My lovely, amazing, girlfriend, Lily Potter, will have the special grilled chicken, with cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt." Sebastian said, before Lily could answer, and she couldn't hold back grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh." The waitress said, making a face, and leaving.

Lily tried her best to not laugh.

"Thank you for that, Seb."

"You're welcome, Lily, no one messes with my girlfriend."

"You mean, your pretend girlfriend."

"Shh…you never know when the press has a hidden camera. You know what a big deal they made when they got wind of Rose and Scorpius's relationship."

"Yeah, I know. They couldn't even go for a walk without being stalked. Good point, Sebastian."

"Thank you, Lily."

Their food arrived, and Sebastian dug in. Lily just watched him silently, amused.

"Warr?" Sebastian said, looking up when he noticed Lily hadn't touched her food, his mouth full.

"You have a bit of steak sauce under your chin." Lily said, pointing to a spot on her own chin.

Sebastian raised his wand, and then put it down, saying,

"Nahh, I'm too lazy to do a charm. Besides, I will have to clean up again, once I'm fully done, right?"

Lily smiled, reached over with her own napkin in hand, and wiped the smudge on his chin.

"Thank you, Lils."

"You're welcome, Seb. And I'm sorry, for acting like such a bitch this morning. I…don't know what got into me."

"It's okay. I got over it. But I do have to ask you one thing, did I something really bad to upset you? Because I was wondering about that, you know, I even checked to make sure I had all my…parts…" Sebastian said nervously. She had just apologized for being angry this morning, and he didn't want to get her angry again…Everyone thought Lily was a docile, little, sweet person. But Sebastian knew she could really hex the hell out of you if she wanted, and he wasn't taking a chance.

"Yes, but it's okay, it wasn't…that big of a deal." Lily said, turning slightly red.

"It wasn't really bad or anything, right? Because the other day I upset Syria, and now that she's learned a few jinxes, she's not afraid to experiment with them…" Sebastian said, and Lily laughed.

Sebastian couldn't help but admire her laugh. Her head thrown back, and her laugh ringing in his ears. Richard Williams was one lucky bloke. He only wished she would keep smiling like that forever. Suddenly, her eyes looked at something, apparently behind Sebastian, and her smile faltered. She immediately looked down, and said,

"How about we leave, Seb?"

"But you haven't even touched your food! What's wrong?" And Sebastian looked behind him, to see that damn bastard, Andrews. Ryan Andrews. He immediately stood up, went over to Andrews. He could hear Lily's pleas in the background, but all he knew was that this bastard hurt Lily. Sebastian grabbed him by the collar, and brought him over to the table.

"Something familiar, Andrews?" Sebastian asked, and laughed sardonically at his expression.

Ryan hadn't forgotten how badly he had been bashed by Lily's brothers and cousins the last time he…he preferred not to think about it…But now with Malfoy as her boyfriend, it seemed, he was scared shitless…

"Err, hello, Lily." Andrews stuttered out.

"I don't even want to see your fucking face. Sebastian, tell him to get the hell out of here."

"No need, I was just leaving anyway." Andrews said, trying get out of Sebastian's grasp.

"Oh, no, no, no. I insist you join us." Sebastian said.

Lily pulled him down, and hissed,

"What the hell are you playing at, Malfoy?'

"Relax, _love_. I know what I am doing. So, sit Andrews…no, not next to Lily, in front of Lily. _I _will sit next to her, while you observe."

"Observe what?"

"How to treat a lady." Sebastian replied.

* * *

"A/N: So, I was originally going to have them kiss more, and Sebastian magically remember what happened the night before between them, but it didn't seem realistic, not to mention, I've never had alcohol so I don't really know how drunk people actually behave when they have a hangover. Again, I just based it off movies, and what my friends tell me, and also what I just learned from . It was required that I take the first part before college. I liked this chapter and now I don't…so I don't know…whatever…I'm just tired. So anyway, let me know what you think, you know I love reviews!!! Please and thank you!!


	23. How to Treat a Lady

A/N: Thank you to ceh92, Cottonpaw, merkandtwisty, Lilyluna, Calcetera, and Misssyl for reviewing! And a DOUBLE THANK YOU to naazhearts for reviewing this and Leah's Story! You're so amazing!! And I would like to tell you all, that I had actually planned this as a 'hang-out' sort of date when they are back at Hogwarts for Lily and Seb, where they run into Ryan in The Three Broomsticks, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Oh, and Lilyluna, your review is answered at the end:] So here it is, chapter 23, where chapter 22 ended. Also, I may not update next week, since these were all the prewritten chapters I had, with the exception of chapter 25. However, I will try my level best to update, since I think I am almost through with ch. 24, and pretty much halfway through ch.25. But in the event I don't, please do not hate me. College really is tough, and a lot of work, especially when I am at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. And I apologize in advance, should I not be able to update next week...now that doesn't mean I won't try, but I'm just warning you now.

* * *

"Sebastian, is this really necessary?" Lily asked, not liking the situation at all.

"Yes, Lily. Now shut up…so, Andrews, as you can see, Lily hasn't touched her food. In this instance, do you know what to do?"

Ryan remained quiet, not knowing what to say, and if he said the wrong thing…Sebastian wouldn't leave him…

"Of course you wouldn't know, you git. Watch and learn." Sebastian said, feeding Lily, who was still in shock that all of this was actually happening. Bite by bite, Lily finished her meal, and Sebastian asked,

"Now do you know what to do next?"

"Look, Malfoy, I don't know where the hell you're going with this, but _I _have important things to attend to so I'll just-"

"Sit and listen because I'm not done. Clearly, you don't know how to even court a girl, so I'm merely teaching you the ropes. Now shut up and watch. Lily, would you like to dance?"

Lily smiled, and took his hand. She had understood what Sebastian was doing, and even though her encounter with Ryan had been in the past, she was still grateful. When taking her to the floor, Sebastian asked Ryan,

"All right, come on now, what are you waiting for?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't have anyone to dance with and I would just look like a fool, standing on the dance floor." Ryan said, his face beet red.

"That is the whole point of this exercise, you imbecile. But then again, if I were as thick as you, I wouldn't get it either. Come along now."

While Ryan stood on the floor, trying his best to look normal, Lily whispered to Sebastian,

"You don't have to do this, you know. I mean I appreciate, and it's damn funny, but it's really not necessary. And whatever happened the Sebastian Malfoy that I knew? The one that hated dancing?"

"Correction: I hate ballroom dancing, because I find balls, galas, and such things nothing short of rubbish. And it wasn't the dancing part I had objected to, it was the singing love songs while dancing. But having a legitimate excuse to hold a gorgeous girl intimately close? I have no problem with that."

"Of course you don't, you're Sebastian Malfoy." Lily said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Precisely."

After a comfortable silence, Lily whispered again,

"We've embarrassed him enough, don't you think?"

"There we go again, St. Lily. Really, after all the guy did to you, you're going to just let him off so easy?"

"I hexed him for that, you know. James, Al, Scorp, Fred and Roxy beat him up as well.. And you've managed to embarrass him more than I thought was possible, I think it's enough. Besides, now that I look back at it, I realize how immature _I _behaved over the whole thing."

"Immature? _Immature_? Lily, what he did was way out of line, it was ridiculously disrespectful. Not just to you, but to women in general. He needs to learn his lesson."

Sebastian smirked as Lily didn't reply. She was happier than she let on about the whole situation, happy that Sebastian was sticking up for her.

As the song ended, Sebastian glared at Andrews.

"We're not done yet…Lily, I will go fetch the bill, Andrews, you come with me."

Lily watched as Sebastian paid the bill, and said,

"That's how you treat a lady. Now, leave, and if I ever see you again, I swear I won't bother being this civil. Get lost."

Andrews glared one last time at Sebastian, and said,

"How about you go kill someone Malfoy, after all, it's in your blood right? Oh wait, then Lily would leave just like your moth-"

Sebastian punched him. Hard. He took out his wand, and was about to hex the bastard, but stopped when he was already writhing in pain. He looked to his left, and saw Lily with her wand out, and fervor on her face.

"Don't you ever go there again, Andrews. You can say whatever you want about me, you can call me a fucking prude, you can tell me that I need to get my knickers out of a twist, you can say that I am nothing but Harry Potter's stuck up bitch of a daughter, but you will never say anything about Sebastian or his family. Are we clear?"

Andrews kept his mouth shut, and apparated away. Lily turned around to see that Sebastian had already left.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" _Lily cried. "I want you to lead me to Sebastian Malfoy."

She didn't expect her Patronus to lead her to three shops down from where she was standing, at Quaffles and Snitches.

"Oh, hey, Lily. I was buying this for your Dad, you know so I can give him something." Sebastian said, and upon seeing Lily's blank expression, added, "you know, for Christmas…which is in two days…at the Burrow…should I owl Scorpius and ask if he can check to see you're all right?"

He was acting like nothing happened!!! Lily couldn't believe it…he was simply ridiculous.

"YOU STUPID, IDIOTIC, ARROGANT, JERK??? How dare you just leave me like that? Do you know worried sick I bloody was?"

"Lily, please calm-"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO FUCKING BE CALM, SEBASTIAN MALFOY!!!"

"Lily, people are watch-"

"Does it look like I give a damn?" Lily said, in a considerably lower tone, though still seething.

"Obviously, since you're not yelling at the top of your bloody lungs now." Sebastian smirked.

_Damn him….ughh, damn __**him**_, Lily thought. Here she was, hoping he would be alright, despite what that bastard had said, and here he is, chirpy as a fucking bird.

"Sebastian, next time you pull a stunt like this, please tell me where you're going. I thought you-"

"Was in some corner crying? No, Lily, you know better me than that…besides, it was true…but no, I am alright, Lily. Don't worry your pretty little head about me. Now we do need to worry about shopping, though, because I don't have a gift for everyone in your family. I have something for Al and James, but that's it…"

"Oh, Seb, you don't have to buy anything for them. I bought three gifts each for my brothers and parents, and then something for all my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and of course, my grandparents. We can say it's from me and you…they will like that. Convinces them that we are a couple and whatnot."

"Dear Merlin, and _I_ thought Christmas shopping was expensive and difficult."

"You know, it's really not. You just have to find the right deals."

"All right, well, I still do want to buy this for your dad…how about we pay for it, and then go home, yeah?"

Lily shrugged and nodded. After they paid and left, they apparated back to the Potter residence.

"Seb, it's slightly cold. Do you mind starting the fire? I'm making hot chocolate for the both of us."

"Not at all." Sebastian replied.

After Lily handed him a cup with chocolate, she sat down nursing her own, a smile on her face.

"What are you all smiley-smiley about, Missy?"

"Nothing…nothing…" Lily said, just shaking her head.

"I hate it when you do that, you know, go all mysterious on me. I hate it." Sebastian said, with a pout.

"When have I ever done that?"

"You've got to be kidding me. Lily, you do that _all the time_. Like in second year, when we were partners for Potions, and then in third year, when we had to do that Charms project. And from fourth year onwards, you did all the time. It's bloody annoying. So just tell me what's on your mind."

"You're right, Seb. I could tell you what's on my mind…but then again, I could not…so I won't." Lily said, giggling.

"Well, I know how to make you tell me…" Sebastian said, smirking.

"Really? How?" Lily said, curious.

"All…it…takes…is…this." And Lily was confused until Sebastian set down his cup of hot chocolate, took her own from her hands, and without any warning, he reached over and tickled Lily to death.

"Aaahhhhh!! Sebas-….Seb, please, no stop." Lily cried, struggling to get out, to no avail.

"I'm not going to stop until you tell me, so might as well tell me now."

"All right, all right." Lily said, clutching her stomach from laughter. Sebastian motioned for her to continue.

"I was thinking about someone…"

"And that someone would be?" Sebastian prodded.

"That is for me to know, and you to find out." Lily said, suddenly getting up and running to her room.

Sebastian ran after, easily catching up. He caught onto Lily's arm before she could reach her room, and pinned one of her hands to the wall and the other behind her back.

"You're really weird, you know. Quirky, but still weird."

"You're really blunt." Lily replied.

"What's the point of this conversation?"

"Honestly, I don't think it has one…" Lily said, shrugging.

"Well, then we should shut up."

"Yes, I suppose we should."

"Yup."

"Mmmhmm."

"_Lily!_"

"Sebastian."

"Whatever, I'm leaving." Sebastian said, letting go of her.

"Go, by all means." Lily said, acting indifferent.

"I really am going. I'm not shitting you." Sebastian said turning around.

"I never said you were."

"Fine."

"Fine." Lily said, making her way to her room, but a knowing smile playing on her face. _Three, two, one_.

"Well, I change my mind, I don't want to leave, just so I can annoy you." Sebastian said, appearing in her doorway.

"Go to bed, Seb. It's late. And trust me, you have a _huge_ day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Lily, everyone in your family already knows me, it's not that big of a deal. I've been to the Burrow before."

"Yes, but tomorrow, you won't be Scorpius's little brother, you will be my boyfriend. There's a difference." Lily stated matter-of-factly.

"I know that, _but_ I'm still as charming as Merlin himself, so it won't be a problem. Everyone loves me anyway."

"You're so full of yourself, you big, arrogant, prat."

"Thank you." Sebastian said, taking a bow.

"All right, well, I'm tired, but Kreacher's already gone to sleep, so I'm going to head downstairs, and clean up a little. You really should go to bed, Seb."

"I will, after showering. Good night, Lily."

"Night, Seb. Take care." Lily said, watching Sebastian as he left.

* * *

After her own shower, Lily collapsed on her bed, waiting for sleep to come. She waited and waited and waited. Tossing and turning didn't help much either. Frustrated, Lily began counting sheep. _Whoever came up with that bloody idea of counting was a downright moron, _she couldn't help but think. Lily knew she was tired, and upon glancing at her clock, she saw it had already been an hour. She tossed and turned some more, her frustration only growing. She was about to get up and do a sleeping charm on herself, despite how much she hated them, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Lily, can I come in?" Sebastian asked, tentatively.

"I suppose."

"I can't sleep."

"Me neither." Lily said, irritated.

"Do you want to go star-gazing?"

"Star-gazing?" Lily asked, tired…she really didn't want to engage in escapades right now. All she wanted was some damn sleep.

"Yeah, whenever Scorpius and I both can't sleep, we go on the terrace and look at the stars…do you want to?"

Lily hesitated, but it did sound like a good offer, and perhaps it would calm her down, and then maybe she would get some sleep.

_I can't sleep, might as well_, Lily said to herself, getting up, and walking with Sebastian to the terrace.

* * *

Lily conjured a blanket and both laid down on it.

"That right there is Ursa Minor." Lily said, breaking the long silence that had enveloped them, pointing to a group of stars.

"You sure are learning a lot in that Astronomy class you're taking."

Lily looked away, saying,

"Yeah…that Astronomy class that I have."

"You like the stars, Lily?"

"They sure are pretty." Lily said.

"Yeah, but you know some people believe that the stars have your destiny in them…do you believe in that?"

"Well, honestly, I'm not quite sure how I feel about destiny…I know that whatever you do, has repercussions, no matter what it may be…but as far as the stars deciding that or destiny being prewritten, I don't know…it could be, I mean, lots of people say that you're life is already written by God himself…but I think, that while God knows what decision you will take, he still leaves it up to you…it's hard to explain…it just gets more confusing."

"Yeah, it does…but I kinda feel the same way…I think your destiny is based on your own actions…not just stars, but it has to be written somewhere, don't you think?"

"I don't really know, like I said, the more we discuss it, the more confusing it gets."

"Well then, no more discussing destiny."

"Thank you." Lily said, not bothering to stifle her yawn.

"We've wasted a lot of time, you know?"

"Trying to fall asleep?" Lily asked, lifting her head up a little, a curious look on her face.

Sebastian chuckled.

"No, no, I meant fighting. If we would have just apologized earlier, like say, nine years ago, and gotten over our damn pride, we would have probably ended up being great friends. Don't you think so?"

"Hmm, I suppose we would have, but I don't think we would have been this close."

Sebastian turned to face Lily, and said,

"Why?"

"Because, this year, we were forced to cooperate in school, and thus, it was necessary we overcome our differences…we got to know each other better, since we were sort of thrown together. Had we been friends from the beginning, it could have different, and we wouldn't be as close, since we wouldn't be spending so much time together."

"Yes, we would, because either way, we're still Heads together, and so we would be spending time together."

"Yes, Sebastian, I understand that, _but_, the reason we're so close, isn't because we're Heads, it's because of our plan. And if we were friends, we wouldn't have never formed the plan, because if we were friends, I would have never done anything like this."

"Are we friends now?"

"You've already asked me that, but yes we are."

"So, what about the plan now?"

"We became friends because of the plan, Sebastian. It would have been different if we hadn't come up with the plan."

"I don't think so."

"You're also a stubborn, obnoxious prat."

"You have no room to talk when it comes to being stubborn."

"I'm not as stubborn as you, Sebastian."

"It's your stubborness right now that's making you argue with me."

"Shut up."

"Nope, you shut up." And to Sebastian's surprise, Lily complied.

"Are you finally sleepy?"

"Yes, I do think I am." Lily said, her eyelids closing, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Sebastian smiled, finally finding solace himself.

* * *

A/N: Well, there isn't much to say, so, have a good day…or night…and leave a review, makes a girl happy!!

Review Reply to Lilyluna: Haha, yes, Ryan's face meets Seb's fist, so much fun, isn't it? Well, as far as the whole thing with Astoria goes, there's an underlying theme in it…and it has to do with Sebastian…not directly per say…but…I can't say anymore, before I give it away. lol. Thank you so much for reviewing!


	24. Family Parties

A/N: Now for chapter 24. Thank you to ceh92, merkandtwisty, Cottonpaw, and HorribleHolly for reviewing! This chapter is also dedicated to OurLoveIsForever, because she has inspired me for the second half. Thank you so much for everything. The little intro of Mandy is because of merkandtwisty, so double thanks to her as well.

* * *

The day came, when Lily and Sebastian had to play the perfect couple in front of the entire Weasley Clan. Lily was currently giving Sebastian last minute instructions, under the pretext of fixing his tie.

"Now, behave in front of Uncle Percy, he hasn't exactly forgotten when you set his pants on fire a few years back."

"It's not like I did on purpose. I was meaning to set you on fire, it just so happened that I couldn't aim properly…you know how rubbish I am at silent spells."

"No one knows better than me, Sebastian."

"That's my point, but we don't need to elab-"

"I swear, for such a bright boy, one would think that you would excel at silent spells, but you're absolutely rubbish. I -"

"I get it, Lils. You don't need to-"

"Do you really, Seb?" Lily said, fiddling with his hair.

"Stop it! It takes a lot to get my hair this way, you know. I like it the way it is." Sebastian whined, sticking his nose in the air.

"I don't doubt that, not one bit. You know, sometimes it worries, how much time you spend on your hair."

"Well, not all of us are blessed with amazing looks, that are beautifully enhanced with the slightest bit of make-up, not that you need any make-up at all…Ginger."

Lily kept on reminding herself that she was about to leave for the Burrow, where she would meet all of her cousins who she hadn't seen in so long, and it would all be okay._ Take deep breaths…take deep breaths…inhale…exhale…oh, bloody hell…this isn't working._

"Why do you always do that?" Lily gritted.

Sebastian turned her around so that Lily could see her reflection in the mirror.

"Because, look, you don't need make-up when you're all riled up, see? You have a natural blush, your eyes sparkle, and your hair is on fire…who needs make-up when just one word when just one word has the same effect, my dearest Ginger."

"Would you please stop, Gel-Head?"

"Gel-Head? Lily, I haven't styled my hair like that in years."

"Haha, styled…that wasn't stylish at all."

"Yes, I know that now…which is why I stopped doing it. Speaking of stopping, you really should stop teasing me." Sebastian said, frowning.

"Oh quit acting like a big baby."

"Are you sure you're not already married?"

Both Lily and Sebastian turned to see James in the hallway.

"James, I thought we sent you to fetch the two lovebirds."

"I did come to get them, but it's just so damn amusing to see them."

"Oh, they were fighting again? Well, in that case, let's just see this." Albus motioned his sister and Sebastian to continue.

Lily and Sebastian looked at each other, at Albus and James, and then back at each other again.

"You will not be amused at our expense." Lily said.

"Whatever quarrels we have are our love for each other." Sebastian continued.

"And we would certainly appreciate-"

"If you and the rest of the world would simply stop laughing at us…we only fight because we are both stubborn, hard-headed, and perfectionists."

All right, Seb, that's enough, Lily said in her head, when Sebastian went on and on about them both being stubborn and hard-headed. Malfoy was hard-headed and stubborn, but Lily certainly wasn't.

_And that would be the hard-headedness he was talking about._

_Go away._

_I am your conscious, I don't go away. My job is to annoy until you do the right thing…which is in this case is admitting you're wrong, which you won't, but you're proving Sebastian right…_

"It's a win-win situation for him!! And I refuse to lose." Lily cried out loud. "Oh, that wasn't meant to be said aloud."

"You worry me more and more everyday, Lily. One of these days, I really will have Scorp check you out, see what's wrong in that befuddled mind of yours."

"Sebastian, I do not have a befuddled mind."

Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but Albus beat him to the punch.

"As much as we all enjoy your arguing, we do have a party to go to, and we are very late."

"Late?" Lily and Sebastian exclaimed at the same time. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Both Lily and Sebastian scurried out together, with Albus and James just watching amusedly. When Lily and Sebastian noticed this, they said,

"Well, aren't you two coming?"

Both of Lily's brothers chuckled, and joined Harry, Ginny, and Mandy in the living room.

"Oh, don't mind your brothers, Lily. You know how they can be, I mean it took the bloody bloke five years just to realize that he liked me."

Lily giggled at Mandy's words.

"Better late than never, Mandy." Al said, play pouting.

"Some things should never be late, Al." Mandy said, coyly, batting her eyelashes, and then cracking up with Lily, as they made their way into the fireplace, ready to Floo.

* * *

"Lily dear!! You look lovely!!" Molly Weasley, the elder one, said, smiling at her youngest granddaughter.

"Thank you, Grandma." Lily said, blushing.

"Well, well, I have to tend to the food, so I will be off. Mingle with your cousins, love. By the way, where is that mother of yours?"

"I think she's talking to Uncle George, right over there."

"Ahh, yes, yes…well, I have to talk to her about something important. Carry on, dear."

"Wait, Grandma…I wanted to introduce you to Sebastian."

"Oh, Lilylove, I already know…Hugo wrote and told us everything."

_Oh, I know, Grandma…believe me, I do know. _But Lily also knew she had to feign innocence, so she said,

"Oh, did he really?" Lily said, inwardly wincing at her own tone, hoping her grandmother hadn't noticed the extra-sweetness in her voice. Judging by the looks of it, she hadn't, and Lily let out a breath.

"Yes, he certainly did. He is such a lovely boy."

"Sebastian?"

"Oh, well him too. I was referring to Hugo…I really wish your Aunt and Uncle had a little more confidence in him."

"HUGO!! How many times have I told you, you can't cook the steaks like that…they will burn, and now look, they are burnt!!"

"And then he goes and does things like that…" Molly sighed, "Well, love, I better go help him, and I thought I told him to stay away from the food…Hugo dear…please don't touch that."

Lily shook her head, and couldn't help but smile. The world would turn upside down, but Hugo would never change, the only time he changed was…with Beth. Lily had written Beth for Christmas, and even invited her to the Burrow…but, her reply clearly stated that she had no intentions of showing up. Of course, Hugo was probably the reason, and Lily was fully on Beth's side…but that didn't mean she didn't miss her best friend.

"If only she didn't move to France." Lily said aloud. That was another reason Lily wanted to do the Healer's Abroad Training, she could see Beth.

"Beth?" Sebastian said, appearing out of nowhere, nursing a glass of firewhiskey.

"Who else?" Lily said, shrugging.

"I told Hugo yesterday, to pull out of his ass, and just apologize to her about all of their issues. If he would just admit that he has commitment issues, then it would just be easier, but he's so thick…he worries me."

"He worries his own parents, Seb."

Suddenly, a voice from behind screamed,

"Sebastian!!!"

"Roxy!!!!"

"What's up, mate?" Roxy said, giving Sebastian a hug, and Lily felt a sudden spurt of anger to her cousin, which was really interesting, considering after Rose and Hugo, Roxy was her favorite cousin. Yes, Roxy had always been close to Seb, but for Merlin's sake, Sebastian was her boyfriend…well, pretend boyfriend, but still, in the family's eyes, he was hers, and Roxy should have known her limits…

Lily, snap out of it!! Gosh!!!

"That will be enough, Roxy." Lily said, gently prying Roxy off Sebastian,

"I smell something…it's coming from you, Lils…ahh, yes, that, my dear, is jealousy. And don't worry, Sebastian and I are just friends, no need to get your knickers in a-who the hell invited him?"

Lily looked around and saw Hayden Wood, and immediately felt bad for her poor cousin. The teasing grin on Roxy's face immediately vanished, and she said,

"Guess, I'll see you later. Have fun."

"Roxy, please don't be so dejected. Show him you don't care. Come on, I know you're stronger than that."

"Yeah, Rox, Lily's right. Who gives a damn what Wood thinks? He doesn't know what he's missing out on…you really should stop pining over him."

"But it's so hard." Roxy choked, trying her level best not to cry.

"Roxy, you're a Gryffindor, we don't ever give up. And I know it takes more than a guy to bring Roxy Weasley dow-"

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?" Fred yelled, clutching Hayden's collar. "Get out! GET OUT!!!" With almost the entire family rushing to them.

"I just want to talk to Ro-"

"Don't you even think about my sister! You have no idea what she's been through, so don't even dare, bastard."

"Fred, I really think you should,-"

"Dad, how can you say that?"

"Fred, let go of Hayden, and Hayden, I think it's best that you go home. If you wish to talk to Roxy, you can talk later, but for right now, please go home." George said.

Hayden understood what was good for him, and left, Lily didn't miss the look in his eyes as he looked at Roxy, who immediately looked at the floor.

"Everyone, just carry on." George said cheerfully. The Longbottoms arrived, as did Luna, Newt, Lysander, and Lorcan.

"Roxy, are you okay?" Rose asked, Scorpius right behind her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, but I think I just need some fresh air, yeah?"

Rose nodded, as Roxy left to take a walk.

"Cousin Teddy!! My man!!" Scorpius shouted, to which a grinning Teddy Lupin appeared, with a little girl in his arms, and a small boy by his side.

"Scorpius! Sebastian! How are you two doing? How's the rest of the family?"

"Everyone's fine." Scorpius said, as Sebastian ran a hand through his fair. Everything was not fine…and now he was even more worried. Draco had written them earlier, and requested that Syria come home and spend the remainder of the break with their mother, at home. Sebastian hoped her appearance in their lives was just temporary, it sure had been before, but from the looks of it…

"Say, Teddy, I need some advice mate, how do you handle these Weasley women, after marriage, I mean?"

"Scorp, my dear man, the secret to any happy marriage…remains a secret, one that I desperately wish to find out. But for now, I just do everything Victoire says, that temper…"

"It's what gets us all, isn't it? That bloody temper of theirs?" Damien said, referring to Dominique.

"At least yours' aren't concerned about breaking a bloody nail." Christopher, Lucy's boyfriend said. "I mean, I love Lucy-stop laughing- but still, it's ridiculous. She refused to go out in the snow the other day because she was out of waterproof mascara. I told her she's a bloody witch-"

"And can do an Impervious charm, but no, I'm just a stubborn bitch right, then break up with me…" Lucy said, poking him. All the guys laughed as Christopher got caught again, complaining about Lucy and her high maintenance.

"But you know who's the scariest when she's angry? Lily. We really feel for you, Sebastian, mate."

"She's not that bad…and I know how to handle her." Sebastian said, smirking, but it was true, Lily's temper was a wrath in itself, a wrath he had endured for over half of his life.

"Sebastian, she keeps it all bottled up, and then one small thing sets her off, and she takes it all out."

"And that one small thing is usually my doing," Sebastian said, sighing, "But I only do that because I love how she looks when she's mad…it's a look only reserved for me."

Damien, Scorpius, and Teddy just smiled at him.

"What?" Sebastian asked, looking at himself, "Is there something on my face?"

He just shrugged when the other three just exchanged glances and shook their heads. Whatever was going on their heads, he wouldn't know, and decided to find Lily.

He spotted her talking to Louis in a room, away from everyone, who was handing her a package, and explaining something to her, and she was listening with concentration. He hid behind the wall. He tried listening, but soon recognized there was a silencing charm around them. But he wasn't an expert at wandless magic for nothing, he quickly waved his arm in their direction, with a ward that countered the silencing charm, yet Lily and Louis wouldn't know he was listening.

"Are you sure, Lils? I mean, this is a big step, and with Sebastian in your life, you sure you want to do this to him? I've seen the way he looks at you, Lily. And I also know, he's not for long-distance relationships…are you sure?"

"Yes, Louis, I'm sure, and trust me, Sebastian won't mind."

"If you say so. But I'm still not convinced, just telling you." Louis said, defeated.

Louis and Lily left, leaving Sebastian more confused than ever.

* * *

"Why do they take so long to get ready?" Sebastian said, "It's bloody irritating, you know?"

"Let them be, brother. They make efforts to look pretty for us, the least you could do is be patient."

"Scorpius, this isn't the time for you to be all sensitive, agree with me."

"You need to learn to be sensitive, especially with a girl like Lily."

"And you need to stop thinking that the world's problems are your own, and that it's your responsibility to fix them."

"Not the world's, but I do like to help fix problems my family has…that's how it's always been, Seb. You know that. I'm the sensitive, emotional one, while you are the grounded, practical one. You're the rock of the family, and I'm the nursing caretaker…why do think I became a Healer, and you're the one going for Auror school?"

"Wow! I didn't expect you to go into a full-fledged speech about you and me…you make not want to talk." Sebastian said, overwhelmed.

Scorpius smirked, and he was just about to say something when Rose emerged, and he drew in a breath.

She was ethereal in her sheer blue dress, matching her blue eyes perfectly, complimenting the brown tint in her red hair. And once again, he wondered what he did to deserve a girl like Rose. She walked up to him with a smile on her angelic face, and said,

"Shall we?" linking her arm through his, "And Seb, don't worry, Lily will be down soon."

Great, now Rose and Scorpius were gone too. It was his bloody family's New Year's Eve party, and he and his date were late. He decided to go up to Lily's room, and see what she was doing that was taking so long. As if on cue, she appeared, in a white, strapless dress, touching the top of her black sandals. It was beaded on the top, with lace. It was simple, just like her. Nothing gaudy, but she managed to look elegant in it. Her hair was parted to the side, and rested behind her shoulders. She smiled apprehensively, as if looking for approval. When she didn't get any reaction from Sebastian, she frowned,

"Do I look that hideous?"

"It will do." Sebastian said, tugging on his collar, straightening it. Lily watched amusedly as he tried and tried, couldn't seem to get it right. When he gave up, it was obvious it was still bothering him.

"Do you need some help?" Lily asked, a smile gracing her face.

Sebastian pursed his lips, and said,

"Let it be, Lily. We're late anyhow, and it doesn't help that it's my party. Let's go."

* * *

Lily stared in awe, admiring how beautiful Malfoy Manor truly was. Not to mention the albino peacocks. Sebastian smiled at her expression, serene yet glowing. He snapped his fingers in front of her, bringing her out of her daze.

"It's beautiful. Malfoy Manor, I mean. I'm not one for parties, but this would seem like my kind of atmosphere, calm yet classy."

Sebastian humphhed.

"Wait until you meet the people, Lily."

"Sebastian, is something wrong? Because you've been acting strangely. Did I do something? Because I'm sorry if I did, and I promise, I didn't it on purpose to spite you. Seb, please say someth-"

"Just shut up, Lily! Please, I don't want to deal with this right now. Please be quiet, and just do what you do best, smile and look pretty, and for the love of James Sirius Potter, leave me the hell alone!!!! Can you do that?"

Lily's mouth dropped open, as Sebastian walked off. What was going on?

Sighing she went in, following Sebastian, and when she was greeted with the sight of Astoria and Draco standing together, acting like the perfect couple, she understood. She had remembered earlier when a letter had come, and Syria had to go home. Sebastian had been pretty upset, and while Lily didn't know what exactly was in the letter, she deduced that it hurt Sebastian greatly.

_Poor Seb, he has to pretend like nothing is going on, he has to plaster a smile on his face for the rest of the world, but he's so deeply hurt._

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Potter."

Lily turned around to greet Astoria Greengrass Malfoy, who indeed was a beautiful woman.

Her golden brown hair, complimented by her bright blue eyes, the very eyes that graced Syria's face. She was approximately Lily's height, and that twinkle that was always in Sebastian's eyes, had been clearly inherited from his mother.

"It's nice meet you too, Ma'am. And please, call me Lily." Lily wasn't sure what to call her, Ms. Greengrass, or Lady Malfoy…and she didn't want to offend her either.

"Come, I have anticipated you." Astoria said, guiding Lily upstairs, and then taking a right to the last room. She motioned Lily to sit down, and a house elf came with treats and drinks. Astoria took them and sent the house elf off.

"Lady Malfoy, whose room is this?"

"Well, of all people, you should know, Lily."

"Is it Sebastian's?"

"Yes, it certainly is. But do you know why I brought you here, Lily?"

"Well, I honestly don't know." She figured there was more to this visit than just to see Sebastian's room.

"Lily." Astoria said, taking the younger girl's hand in her own, and sitting with her on the bed, "I brought you here to talk about Sebastian."

"What about him?"

"Sebastian…is probably the most stubborn person you have ever know." And Lily held back a peal of laughter, because it was so true, but she decided to be polite and let Astoria continue. "He's going to be the most difficult when it comes to this family to accept me back."

Lily was a little confused, but she figured Astoria would tell her side of the story, and she did exactly that.

"Years ago, right after the Second War, all families that had been in Slytherin were associated with Death Eaters, and rightfully so, more than most Death Eaters had been from Slytherin, however many families, including my own, had changed loyalties right before the war. The Malfoys were in this group as well. My father had arranged my marriage when I was merely sixteen, with Draco, who merely eighteen at the time. It was a sort of a way to show the world that our families really had changed since, a marriage of convenience if you will. So, at the tender age of sixteen I was engaged to Draco Malfoy, who was nothing but an arrogant, rich, womanizing bastard in my eyes. It's not like I meant anything to him either. Even after our engagement, he didn't change in his ways, while I had to be the perfect fiancée. Before I was engaged to Draco, I was in a relationship, a very serious one at that, with Theodore Nott. Initially, my parents didn't know about it, but once they found out, they were enraged, and while they never blatantly admitted it, I always knew in my heart that my engagement to Draco was their way of getting rid of my relationship with Theo. They knew I would be loyal to my fiancé, just because that's how I am. And I expected that same loyalty from Draco, which I obviously didn't get. I brushed it off, and I secretly continued to see Theodore, if he didn't have to change his ways, why should I? It went on for a good three years, Draco and I only talked when our parents would arrange meetings, or at parties like this one, where we had to pretend to be the perfect couple. I'm sure he knew about my relationship with Nott before the engagement, as he and Theo were very close, yet there was always a sort of rivalry between them. Both were the only child of rich Pureblood households. Both excelled in school, athletics, and were basically the most eligible bachelors, along with Blaise Zabini, in Slytherin. However, like I said, I only saw Theo secretly for three years, because then it was time for my wedding. I had always felt guilt for going behind everyone's back, sneaking around with Theo. However, the night before my wedding to Draco, I visited Theo for the last time, to tell him it was over. Out of respect for my reputation, Draco, and just…society in general, he agreed. Besides, we both knew that after I married Draco, I would stay loyal to him. But even after our marriage, Draco still slept around, it had been three years until we consummated our marriage. That had been because I had gotten a letter from Theo, informing me of his own marriage, to Tracey Davies. Draco was enraged, because he thought that I had been in contact with Theo after our marriage, when in truth, I had not. Whatever we did that night, was in anger. It was really just the fact that I was like a prize, and in Draco's eyes, Theo had won me, and he got the leftovers. Which wasn't true, since I had never slept with Theo." And Lily could detect a faint blush on the older woman's face.

"However, the next morning, Draco gave me some tea, with Veritaserum and only then was he satisfied. Things changed in our relationship after that, Draco was much nicer to me, and we behaved like a normal couple for the most part. But I always felt there was something missing. It didn't have the excitement I had always gotten from Theo, but at that age, I had mistaken that excitement for passion. I felt that Draco's relationship with me lacked passion. And I couldn't deal with it, so after almost fifteen years of marriage, I left. Only when I lost what I had, did I realize how much it meant to me. Theo may have been what I had originally wanted, but Draco was my present and my future. The sixteen year old Astoria was a girl who had dreams and ambitions, which I felt were stripped away from me when my marriage had been arranged. But through the years, I did fall in love with Draco, and I wouldn't have left him, despite how I felt about the relationship. However, about two years after Syria was born, I got a letter from Theo, saying that he still loved me. His wife had passed away in childbirth when giving birth to their youngest son, a few years after Sebastian was born. The truth of the matter was, we were both lonely, and I did run away with Theo, because I felt that that part of my life, which could have been, which should have been, was taken away from me. Things were great with Theo for a while. We both posed as muggles in America for almost five years. But even then, it wasn't what Theo and I had shared in our teen years. And it took us too long to realize that. Theo and I had changed, had grown as people. We dragged it out too far, and while the first year or so was nice, because we got to live out the part of our lives that we wanted, it was rather miserable after. One day, Theo and I both talked, and we agreed to part on best terms. He said he had his duties to his son, and that I had my duties to my own children. And you may not believe me, but there wasn't a single day when I didn't miss Scorpius, Sebastian, or Syria. And there wasn't a single day when I didn't compare Theo to Draco. Merlin, I was so ashamed of what I had done. It took me three years just to be able to look myself in the mirror. If I could, I would take a Time-Turner, and change it so that I had never left. But the whole ordeal taught me a great lesson, a lesson which I will never forget, and one that I hope to pass onto you. Sebastian is the middle child, and ironically, he is a blend of Draco and me in every sense of the term. He doesn't show his real feelings like Draco, and like me, he is very stubborn. I can tell how he feels about you, Lily, and if you didn't return his feelings, you wouldn't be in here, listening to me. I know how much you two mean to each other, and I urge you, please don't let go of each other. My son needs you, Lily. He needs to see that love isn't a bad thing, and that it really can be beautiful. I don't want him to hurt the way Draco and I did. Despite what he thinks, I do love him, and I really just wish I could make up for what damage I have caused. I know I can't undo the past, but I can influence the future. Lily, please make a promise to me today, that you won't ever leave Sebastian's side. No matter what he does. After what I did, I know he isn't the same, but you have helped him heal. You may not see it, but I do, a mother always does. So will you promise me that much? I know it's a lot to ask, especially at your tender age, but I don't think that there is anyone better for Sebastian than you. Can you give me that much, Lily? Please?"

Lily was thoroughly speechless. She had no clue what to say. She had felt guilty, when she lied about her relationship with Sebastian to her family. But that guilt was nothing compared to how she felt at this very moment. Lily had never been so ashamed. She couldn't bear to look Astoria in the eye, and make a promise she knew she could never keep…yet a part was screaming Yes. A part of her wanted that future with Sebastian, and she had never been more confused in her life.

* * *

Scorpius and Rose took a very drunk Sebastian up to his room. They were very surprised to see Lily with Astoria.

"There you are!! See, Scorp, I told you Lily didn't leave!! She would never leave me, she's my Lily!! But what is she doing here?" Sebastian said, pointing to Astoria. "She probably wants to corrupt Lily. Lily, don't listen to what she says, she's a whore…but you're not a whore."

Lily sighed and got up, taking Sebastian from Rose and Scorpius.

"How about we go watch the fireworks? Do you want to watch the fireworks, Seb?"

"Sure, but…she can't come, okay? Just you and me."

Lily took him outside, making sure he didn't stumble. Upon leaving, she heard Scorpius give an apology to Astoria about what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, Lily." Sebastian pouted like a little child.

"What for, Sebastian?"

"We didn't get to dance today, and I wanted to dance." Sebastian said, looking down.

"It's alright, but I think it's the alcohol speaking, because the Sebastian I know doesn't like to dance."

"We already had this discussion. And you wanna know a secret?"

"What?"

"When I'm drunk, I do things. But when I'm sober, I don't remember…but when I'm drunk again, I remember them. Like kissing you that one time. I remember it now."

Lily was shocked, she was about to say something, when she realized he wouldn't remember tomorrow, so it wouldn't have mattered. She just kept her mouth shut, as he began babbling about the stars in the sky, and how they were pretty diamonds.

"You wanna know another secret, Lily?"

"I'm not sure." Lily said, if it was anything like the last one, she probably didn't want to hear it.

"Well, I'll tell you anyway, since…I just want to tell you…shall I tell you?"

"If you must." Lily said, worrying.

Sebastian looked at her sideways, and smiled.

"Lily, Lily, Lily, Lily…my secret is…I want to kiss you again."

Lily turned around, staring at him in shock. Was he serious? He couldn't be serious. He had to out of his mind, or rather, he was just drunk because there was no way Sebastian could mean what he had just said.

"Sebastian, you're drunk, you don't know what you're saying. Let's just get you back inside, you need to sleep."

"No, no, no, no, no. We are going to stay right here, and it's almost midnight, Lily. And do you know what couples do on New Year's Eve at midnight? They kiss."

"Sebastian, we're not a real couple."

"But we're pretending to be one, and it's so much fun!!!"

"You're drunk, let's get you out of here."

"No, we're not leaving. Besides, they've started the countdown."

"Sebastian, we're not kissing."

"Three, two, one."

And despite what she had said earlier, Lily made no effort to stop him, as his lips crushed down on hers, and she pulled him closer. The fireworks weren't just going off in the air. This time, she willingly opened her mouth, as Sebastian's tongue licked her lips. If she would have died in this moment, she would have died a happy woman. All too soon, Sebastian pulled away, leaving Lily wanting more. He smirked at her reaction and nuzzled her neck. He pulled out of her embrace and stumbled, mumbling about her being beautiful.

Lily just stood helped him hold onto her, she didn't know what to say. First the whole exchange with Astoria, and now this, except she knew Sebastian didn't mean a word he said. He would just forget in the morning. Besides, it's not like this charade would last long, they would go back to school soon, and once Juniper and Richard were convinced, her and Sebastian would just…what would happen to them?

* * *

Sebastian woke up the next morning with a bitch of a hangover. He was in Malfoy Manor, in his room, and he was sweating. The last he remembered was kissing Lily…and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. It was a good kiss, there was no denying it…but he didn't like Lily like that. She was a friend, and he was just drunk. And because she was a good friend, he knew she would come by later to see him. He would just deal with the situation then, depending her reaction to it.

He glanced at his clock, and it read 10:30. He was going to ask Ruebella to prepare breakfast, when he saw his entire family in the kitchen with Astoria. And it seemed like some picture perfect family, and his dad looked at him, saying,

"Sebastian, good morning, son. Astoria prepared cheesy scrambled eggs specially just for you."

Just the mention of Astoria's name angered Sebastian. He wouldn't give in to her, he couldn't give in to her. He went back to his room. His stomach growled, and he just collapsed back on his bed. His dad came in, obviously angry,

"Sebastian, what was the meaning of this?"

"Of what, Dad?"

"That misbehavior with your mother. Do you have any idea how rude that was?"

"Beats walking out on my family, though. You have to admit that, Dad."

"You just did walk out on your family, Sebastian."

"Dad, please. Can we just drop this?"

"Sebastian, how about you drop the past, and let go of things?"

"It's not that easy, Dad. You know what she did."

Draco gave up and made his way out, but not before turning and saying,

"You don't know what I did, and the day you learn, son, you will understand."

Sebastian's eyes shot up, and confusion flashed in his face. What the hell did his father mean that? What had his father done? And what did that have to do with Astoria's decision to leave? His headache became worse, and he just fell back on his bed.

* * *

Lily was pacing in her room, what did last night's events mean? He was drunk, that had to have been it, there was no other explanation. This was ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. She knew that he probably didn't remember anything, but she still needed to talk to him.

* * *

Sebastian felt something nipping at him, as he looked over, Lily's owl was pecking at his hand. He gently untied the letter, and read it,

_Sebastian,_

_We need to talk. There are some things we just need to clarify, and I was wondering when you could meet with me. Reply back, or just come home, since my parents are out, and my brothers are at work._

_Take Care,_

_Lily_

Sebastian told the owl to go back, and Flooed to the Potter residence himself. Upon arriving, he saw Lily nursing a glass of pumpkin juice. She looked tense.

"Sebastian, we need to talk."

"And here I was thinking we could take a walk in the garden, drink some lemonade, and gossip like old ladies. Really, Lily, I got the message. So what's going on?"

Sebastian pretended like he didn't remember, because if she wasn't going to bring it up, he wasn't going to open up the can of worms either. Little did he know, that Lily was thinking the same thing. She figured that he didn't remember because he was drunk, and he was acting like nothing special had happened last night.

"Do you know what happ-actually, never mind. It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sebastian, I'm sure."

"Are you sure that you're sure?"

"Yes." Lily sighed.

It seemed like he knew something, that much Lily sensed, but the question was how much did he know? And that's what Lily was afraid of. She decided, like last time, to just let it go.

Sebastian was frustrated, because he was so sure that Lily would bring it up, but if she didn't want to…then, maybe it didn't mean anything to her…and if it didn't mean anything to her, then why should he make a big deal out of it?

A/N: Whew!! What a long chapter!!! If you're still reading, because you're amazing, please a review! And now you know Astoria's story. Also, I really had no intentions of making this chapter (or this story for that matter) so long, so I apologize about that too. But please review, I really would appreciate it.


	25. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

A/N:All right, so I know you all probably hate me for not updating like I should be...and I'm sorry for that. It's just college really takes up so much of my time, I don't even have time to update. I wrote this chapter like a month ago, and I finally had some time on my hands, so I thought I would edit it once more, and then post. Thank you to merkandtwisty, ceh92, runningYODA, OurLoveIsForever, Faerie0975 for reviewing. I was going to put this chapter much earlier like chapter 3ish, but it wouldn't have made sense then. Finally, a light bulb went off in my head, and I realized that this could only occur after their Christmas together. Also, please keep in mind that I had written much earlier, when I had begun writing the story, so it may not be as good, I have edited as much as I could…but still…yeah…

* * *

This wasn't going to be as easy as Sebastian expected, but Lily had it all planned out, because she was good at organizing and for that he was grateful. Christmas was over and school had resumed. He glanced at his clock, it was barely five in the morning. He couldn't sleep all night, because he and Lily were going to publicly snog for the first time, naturally, Lily had a plan for it. Merlin, the girl planned everything. It appalled Sebastian when he realized how well he knew her. Never in his wildest dreams did Sebastian think that he would plan when it came to snogging a girl. It's not like he needed the practice. And not just any girl, Lily Luna Potter, it was so…odd, the whole ordeal…no odd wasn't the right word, but…he couldn't seem to find the right word… _I need a shower_, Sebastian thought, hoping it would help. He walked out of his room, and entered his bathroom, he was so tired, he didn't even realize the shower was running and that someone else would be using it. He opened the curtain and,

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" Both Sebastian and Lily screamed at the same time.

"That's the millionth time, Malfoy. And it wasn't my fault this time. And stop staring!! Hand me a towel, git." Lily said, turning part of the curtain so that at least her top half was covered. Sebastian as always, forgot to knock, but he didn't understand why Lily just didn't get used to it. He had walked in on her showering plenty of times.

"Well, how I was supposed to know that you would be in the shower at this unearthly hour?" Sebastian said, as he handed her a towel, slightly confused as an extremely tiny part of him regretted giving her the towel, as if he were handing his life over to her.

"Oh I don't know, it's not like the sound of running water, and my silhouette would give you a hint, right?"

"Yeah, well, if you didn't stay up until late planning our whole escapade, then I would have actually gotten some sleep."

"Let me remind you,_ I'm _doing _you_ a favor. I-"

"No, no, no, don't give me a guilt trip, Lils. Don't you even try. You're getting just as much out of this as I am."

"But I wouldn't have even suggested such a thing, my dear Sebastian, had you not come up with the idea of pretend dating."

"Fine, will you just get out of the bathroom? I need to shower."

"Will you move so I can step out then?" He gladly moved aside, the faster she got out, the better. He couldn't help but stare at her as she opened the closet and reached for one of her numerous bathrobes.

She felt his eyes bore into her back. Lily didn't like being indecent in front of anyone, even in the mirror when it was just herself, and Sebastian was no exception. She knew she wasn't much to look at, despite what Sebastian had said to cheer her up, and Sebastian didn't need another reason to make fun of her. And apart from that, she didn't like how her heart hammered against her chest, as if she almost wanted something to happen. Which was preposterous because _she didn't want anything to happen_. _Just pick a bloody bathrobe and leave, Lily_, she told herself.

Lily had barely walked out of the bathroom, and Sebastian hopped in the shower. He took his sweet time, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He looked around for what have been at least 20 minutes but couldn't find a bathrobe. _Well, looks like I will just have to borrow one of Lily's_, he thought, smirking, getting the longest one he could find, covering him just above his knees. He could imagine the look on her face when he came out, but he would just have to deal with her wrath. And sure enough as soon as he stepped into the common room,

"MALFOY!!! Is that _my_ bathrobe?" Lily screeched, as she stared at him. The audacity of the boy!! Wearing her bathrobe. She had to admit that she didn't mind how the robe didn't cover his chest. She wasn't to blame, Sebastian may have been as ass from time to time, but he sure as hell was good looking.

"Well, I couldn't find one of mine, and trust me, I did look. Besides, you have enough to supply the poor children of India!"

"Well, I want it back." Lily snapped.

Sebastian smirked.

"If you insist, my lovely flower." And began untying the robe. Lily's eyes widened, and she hastily said,

"No!! I mean, I want it back when you're done with it. You can use it until you get dressed, and then I will put it in my dirty laundry."

"Yeah, just one more question."

"What?" Lily said exasperatedly.

"I hope this isn't the bathrobe you wore when you had dragon pox!?" Malfoy said, guffawing.

Lily gasped and ran after him.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, SEBASTIAN!! I DID NOT HAVE DRAGON POX!! I had what muggles call poison ivy!! And besides, I didn't even own that bathrobe until this summer."

He ran around the room, and Quidditch gave him an advantage that she didn't have. Her brother, James, ironically, was captain during Seb's first and second year on the team, and James Potter really shaped up his team, being hard on everyone, including his own siblings and cousins. They were undefeated all the years James had been captain, and it wasn't a surprise when he announced that he would be joining the number one team in the world, and defending champions of the World Cup, the Chudley Cannons. He was undoubtedly the best chaser in the league. When James left, Scorpius became captain, and though Sebastian loved his brother, even Scorpius, as talented as he was, couldn't match up to James Potter.

Lily soon gave up the chase, because she knew it was a futile battle. She cursed her brother under her breath. If he wasn't so bloody obsessed with Quidditch, he wouldn't have been so hard on the team, and if he hadn't been so hard on the team, Sebastian would be out of breath by now. But he wasn't, Sebastian Malfoy just stood, basking in all his glory, as Lily panted, clutching her back.

"Perhaps you should sit down for a while, Lily." Sebastian said, and Lily was about to retort a wise crack back when she looked into his gorgeous gray eyes, with that stupid hint of beautiful blue, shining with genuine concern. Without even giving her a notice, he strode over, picked her up, and sat down on the couch, so that she was more or less in his lap. And both were still only in bathrobes.

She was tired, and normally a little running didn't bother her, because she often went running with her brothers. But the total lack of sleep the night before just added to her usual stress. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and sighed, her eyes slowly closing.

"I really didn't have dragon pox, you know. Aunt Hermione took me to a muggle doctor, who worked in the same medical complex as her parents. He gave me some ointment, and it disappeared within a day. Aunt Hermione said that it was because I'm a witch, and that muggle children take a while to get over it."

"I know, Lily. I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease you about it is all."

"I still remember. All of us were playing hide and seek, you, me, Rose, Scorpius, Albus, James, Hugo, Roxy, Fred, Mandy, and-" Lily couldn't continue because she had to cover her mouth as she yawned.

"Yeah, and you hid in the trees near your grandparents' house, and I found you, and you were covered in red and pink blotches. What a sight you were!"

"I don't need reminding, Sebastian." Lily said, narrowing her eyes. She got up and stretched, and tried to sit back down. But at this point, Sebastian was already laying down on the couch, and Lily decided to lie down next to him. More like on top of him, considering the width of the couch wasn't exactly designed for two people to lay down next to one another.

Sebastian didn't mind, he knew she was probably more tired than he was, and he was pretty tired to say the least. He just wanted to relax, and apparently, so did Lily. And Sebastian wasn't crazy enough to push away a pretty girl, even if she had been his arch nemesis until recently. Lily sighed again, and let sleep take her in its sweet, sweet arms. Or rather, Sebastian Malfoy's sweet, sweet, toned from Quidditch arms, that were currently wrapped rather protectively around her.

His arms reached for her of their own accord, and he was too tired to stop them from doing so. He would worry about it later, right now, he had sleep waiting for him on the other side of the threshold.

* * *

Lily woke up when she realized her pillow had been breathing. Her head shot up, and she looked down at Sebastian Malfoy, still sleeping without a care in the world. He had a child like smile on his face, full of innocence, showing he was content. Seeing that, Lily couldn't suppress her own smile. Just as she leaned down, his eyes began to flutter, and Lily's head immediately went back to its previous position. _Good, he didn't notice_, she thought. Truth be told, she didn't know why she felt the sudden urge to lean closer, or what she had been planning on doing, but whatever it was, she was glad she didn't do it.

"What time is it, Lily?" Sebastian asked, his voice thick from sleep.

"Yahhh!!" Lily said, yawning, and then looking at the clock on the wall. "It's twelve. TWELVE!! Oh dear Merlin, Seb. We have missed more than half the day. We need to get ready quickly." Lily tried getting up, but Sebastian pulled her down, and seeing the frown on her face, he said,

"Lily, it's only a Saturday. It won't hurt to skive for the rest of the day. It's not like we have classes to attend."

"But-"

"Shh." Sebastian said, as he put his finger to her lips. "Just go back to sleep."

Her head was pounding, and she really could use the extra sleep. Deciding that for once in his life, Sebastian was right, she laid back down on his chest. He grunted, and she realized that she was probably heavy.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here, I'll just get up and-"

Malfoy pulled her down again, but not before shifting so that he was on his side, and then he shifted her in his arms, so that she was on her side too. This time, wrapping a leg around her, and Lily heard his deep breathing again. She smiled, because despite how strong he was, he was comfier than any bed she could have ever dreamed of.

* * *

Neither had realized that the day was over, and that they were supposed to be on their nightly patrol. But it didn't go unnoticed from everyone, because Headmistress McGonagall said the password to the Heads' Common Room. As she entered, she was shocked, but not surprised at the sight before her. _Well, it was bound to happen sometime_, she thought. But that didn't mean that they could neglect their studies or Head Duties.

"You both are lucky the halls are empty, or else you two would have been in big trouble." She said, standing over the both of them.

Both Sebastian and Lily shot up. Lily's face turned the color of a tomato

"Professor, it's not what you think…we haven't…we aren't…" Lily stuttered, searching for words. She looked towards Sebastian for support, but he seemed to be in his own little world.

"Ma'am, we really are sorry. This won't happen again." Lily said, thoroughly embarrassed. This woman corresponded with her family quite often, and this certainly didn't look good on her part.

"Good." McGonagall said, turning to leave, but just before she left, she said, "I'm very happy that you and Mr. Malfoy have worked out your…issues, Ms. Potter."

"Great, now the Headmistress thinks we have shagged, Malfoy."

"Well, we were bound to, weren't we? I mean, we are 'dating' right."

"Yes, but we haven't even publicly snogged. And just because we are 'dating', that doesn't mean we need to shag. And it won't work with Quasi if she thinks you have been sleeping around."

"But I haven't been sleeping around." Lily laughed, but quickly shut up when she saw the look on his face.

"Have you seriously never, you know…?"

"No, that's supposed to be…special. I've done many other things, I'll admit, and despite maybe wanting to go further, I never did. I want my first time to be with someone I really care about."

"Wow, and somehow, I never thought you would say something like that."

"Your words, they wound me." Malfoy said, his hand over his heart.

"Oh, shut up, you prat."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I would like to wear some clothes."

Suddenly, Lily jumped off the couch, and sprinted to her own room. It was bedtime anyway, so she changed into her nightclothes. _Well, I guess Sebastian will just have to snog me tomorrow_. Little did she know that a surprise awaited her.

* * *

Lily and Sebastian walked to the Great Hall like they normally did, side by side, and Lily reached for Sebastian's hand. She stared at him sideways, and couldn't help but smile at his hair, that was still a little rumpled. But even in his simple school uniform, he was as handsome as ever.

"So, are you ready, Lily?"

Lily gulped. She wasn't much for public displays of affections as it was, and this was Sebastian, who apparently hadn't even remembered that he had already kissed her when he was drunk. This would still be…awkward, despite all her planning to make not it so. She just drew in a breath, and said,

"As ready as I'll ever be."

As they entered, Lily knew it was time. _Gosh, I'm acting like I'm Dad going for a Triwizard Task or something. It's only a bloody snog._

Sebastian sensed her discomfort, but he also knew that this was necessary. After all, Lily had planned it all out. But all good plans need changes.

Lily waited, she waited for it to come, as they entered the Great Hall together, where Sebastian would just reach over, and snog the living daylights out of her. _Alright, three, two, one…one…one…what is Sebastian doing?_ She looked over, and Sebastian was just smiling. They were walking to the Gryffindor table, and Sebastian ruffled his sister's hair, glared at John, and sat down next to Hugo, like normal. He began talking to Hugo, like normal, and he ate his food, like nothing was going to happen. Lily was getting frustrated, and if Sebastian wasn't going to do anything, then she might as well just leave. She had work she could be doing. As she got up, Sebastian followed her, wrapping his arms around her waist, whispering,

"A change of plans, sweetheart." Lily turned in his arms, confused, when he leaned over and kissed her cheek, perhaps lingering longer than necessary, or maybe it was all in Lily's head. Then he moved his lips to her ear, and said,

"I know you don't believe me, but I know you better than you think."

But as Sebastian pulled away, smirking, and loudly saying,

"I'll see you in class, _love_."

As he sauntered off, Lily touched her cheek, still feeling his lips. And it was almost as if this one simple kiss on the cheek, meant more to her than any of the snogs she had ever had with any other guy.

* * *

Richard couldn't take it anymore, this was bloody ridiculous. Lily and Malfoy lasted this long? Who would have thought? He had to talk to Lily. Luckily, later that day, he saw her coming out of the Prefects' bathroom, on his way there. She had a small smile on her face, and Richard couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought that Malfoy was probably the reason for it. He cleared his throat and waved his hand in front of Lily.

"How are you, Lily? We never talk anymore."

"Oh, hello, Richard. Well, I have just been busy, you know, with Head Duties, upcoming NEWTs,-"

"Malfoy." Richard cut in, and Lily didn't miss the cool edge in his voice. Inwardly, she wanted to smile, but she managed to maintain her composure on the outside.

"Well, lately, I have been thinking, maybe he's just more of a friend to me." Lily said, gauging Richard's reaction. Upon noticing a spark in his eyes, she continued,

"We may break up soon."

"Really?"

"Perhaps."

"Do you have anyone else in mind, who you might be interested in?" Richard asked, puffing his chest out.

_Has he always been this cocky?_ Lily thought. This wasn't the Richard that she had grown to like. _Maybe he's just jealous…and in that case…_

"I don't know, Richard. Maybe I'll keep my eye out for someone in particular."

"Maybe that someone should be me." Richard said, putting his hands in his pockets, and walking off.

The statement was a little bold for Lily's tastes. He could have had a little more tact. Sebastian was bold all the time, but he was _charming_. Or at least a little more charming than Richard. Lily simply shrugged, and a smile formed on her face. The plan worked! That was all she could think about, as she made her way to the dorm she shared with Sebastian.

_He sure sleeps a lot_, Lily thought, remembering the countless times she had to wake him up. She pounced on him, causing him to grunt slightly. He reached for her waist, to pull her down onto him.

"You know not to do that, missy."

"But I have good news!" Lily said, all giddy. Sebastian opened one eye at a time, looking down at her.

"Would _I _define it as good news?"

"Yes! Richard likes me!! He was getting all overprotective and jealous in the hallway, and I told him we were breaking up soon."

"You told him what?"

"Well, once Juniper's convinced, which I'm sure she is, seeing as all she does is stare at you all day, we break up. That was the point of the plan, right?"

"Hmm, you're right…but isn't this a bit sudden…I mean, just today we had our 'public display of affection'. Isn't breaking up going to look fishy?"

"We don't have to break up right away. We still need to see Juniper's take on this…on you…"

"Too right you are, I can't stress that enough."

"So, then when will we do this-the break up I mean?"

"I don't know, you're the planner."

"You're not much worse, Sebastian. You like to plan things too, don't lie. But anyway, not the point. I was thinking along the lines of the third week of January, so in about two and a half weeks. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, but why then? Why not later?"

"Well, look at this way. The time frame gives us time to realize that we are better as friends…or me rather, because then this way, I will realize that I have liked Richard all along, and then you can pretend to be broken-hearted, and Juniper can comfort you. Once we break up, it also gives you enough time to get closer to Juniper. Then you can ask her out on Valentine's Day! How's it sound?"

"Works for me…now can I go back to sleep? I'm really tired, and you kinda ruined my power nap." Sebastian said irritably.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you bum. Just sleep, that's all you do anyway, lazy lump."

"Hey, I work hard when I want to. I just don't want to right now. Can we please just go to sleep?"

"We?"

"Well, now that you're all snuggled up to me, you might as well just stay."

"But I have studying to do."

"Bullshit. That's all you ever do, is study for those damn NEWTs, when the entire bloody world knows you'll do absolutely fine."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to do well." Lily huffed, getting up from the bed. "Your room's a mess…I kinda want to clean it up."

"Tomorrow, or better yet, never. It's good as it is, and as long as I can find stuff, I don't see any reason to clean it. Now either sleep, or leave me alone, I'm tired."

"Oh, you big, whinebag. Fine, I'll go, I have stuff to do anyway."

"Go do your stuff, then. Let me sleep."

Lily rolled her eyes, as he turned over to sleep on his stomach. Before she left however, she turned back to look at Sebastian, and she couldn't help the huge smile on her face.

* * *

Those two weeks went by really fast, and Lily rehearsed with Sebastian everyday. And this time, he decided to say something.

"Okay, Lily, really, do you not realize that every time we plan something, it goes wrong? Our so-called plans never work. Sometime entirely different always ends up happening."

"Well, then what do you suggest we do?" Lily replied scathingly.

"I say we just do it, like improvise or something like that. Not everything needs to be planned."

"Fine, we'll do it your way, and we'll see how things go." Lily folding her arms across her chest.

The day came when Lily and Sebastian were destined to 'break up', and while Lily wouldn't admit it, a part of her was sad. Sad that her relationship with Sebastian would change, entirely change. But she had her future to look forward to, and that thought sufficed. Regardless, she was still irritated. Irritated, because she didn't know what to expect or even when to expect it. She cursed Sebastian for talking her into this. Breakfast had come and gone, their first two classes had come and gone, and now it was almost time for lunch, and Sebastian had yet dropped any hints about them breaking up. She sighed as she walked from Charms to lunch. She listened to Hugo babbling about falling asleep in class again, and needing her notes. She nodded absentmindedly, tried to at least look engaged. Where was Sebastian? Lunch dreaded on, and thankfully soon enough, it was time for the next lesson. Lily made her way to Potions' hoping to find Sebastian there, and she found him all right. What she didn't expect was to find Quasi practically in his lap, and Lily felt the sudden urge to claw the bitch's eyes out. Snapping from her daze, she mentally scolded herself. Why the hell was she overreacting? She simply took her seat, and listened to Flitwick as he began the lecture.

Throughout the lecture, Lily kept glancing back again and again at Sebastian and Quasi. Didn't her and Sebastian decide that they were going to wait until the actual break-up to chase their respective crushes…people…whatever they were? And it dawned on her as to why she was angry earlier, she felt _betrayed_. Deciding not to read too much into this, Lily continued to take notes, and once class was out, made her way to her common room. But not without missing Sebastian blatantly flirting with Juniper. Minutes later when Sebastian walked in, Lily refused to look at him. And the rational part of her was screaming at her to get a grip, but Lily didn't care.

Sebastian was in a pretty good mood. After talking to Juniper in the library during lunch today, it turned out, she had liked him all along. Not to mention, the plan worked!!!! When he went to the common room, he couldn't wait to tell Lily. He couldn't have told her in class obviously, and she had what he called her learning face. He remembered when he made that up in fifth year.

_Sebastian was exasperated as Hugo went to stupid Potter again. If only the boy would just listen in class and take notes himself. Not that Sebastian took notes. He was just an auditory learner, so he pretty much remembered everything he heard. That and Scorpius always saved his notes…or rather the notes that he stole from Rose…but that wasn't the point. The point was even when Sebastian looked like he wasn't paying attention, he was, so he didn't need notes. Unlike Potter, he sneered at the thought. She always had this certain face, full of determination…but with an edge of anger to it, full of concentration. Sebastian noticed she had it on right now, as he and Hugo walked up to her, she looked like she was doing some essay in the library._

"_Hey, Lily." Hugo said, while Sebastian rolled his eyes._

"_Hey Hugh." Lily simply looked at Malfoy and rolled her eyes._

"_Erm, so I was wondering if maybe I could get your notes for DADA. You know, because I fell asleep…again…" Hugo said, turning red, and Sebastian held his urge to laugh, not realizing Lily was doing the same…but neither could hold it, and both burst into laughter, and as their eyes locked, leading them to share a moment, and on the rare occasion that these 'moments' did occur, Lily always looked away first._

"_Here you go, I knew you fell asleep, so I was making these notes for you actually. So here you are, Hugo."_

"_Thanks, Lily!"_

_Lily merely shook her head, and smiled. But upon looking at Sebastian again, she smile vanished as always. Well, it wasn't like he could stand her either, so her reactions didn't matter to him._

Sebastian smiled, thinking of how far they had come. There were things Sebastian knew about Lily, that even her parents didn't know until recently. He remembered when James and Albus came up to him earlier, asking what a good birthday present for her would be. He had told them, that all she really wanted was a bit of appreciation really, and then when he had arranged for her to talk to her parents, regarding the whole career issue, it had been like a dream come true for her. Sebastian took pride in that, that he probably knew Lily better than she knew herself. Which is why he was wondering why she was mad…she made it obvious when she didn't talk to him at all. So he decided to start the conversation, clearing his throat first.

As much as she wanted to look up, Lily continued to read her book. If Malfoy wanted her attention, he was going to have to answer her.

"So how has your day been, Lily?" Sebastian asked awkwardly.

"Hmm, it's funny you ask, since you never have asked that before. Oh, but wait, you've never ignored me the entire day either before, so I suppose it's all right that you ask me, and if you must know, I had a fine. Just fine."

"I haven't been ignoring you, Lily. It's just that Juniper finally gave me attention, is all."

"So it's okay to leave your girlfriend for someone else?"

"One, you're not really my girlfriend, because if you were, you would have clawed her eyes out for flirting with me. Two, I didn't _leave you_, I just paid a little attention to someone else. I didn't realize you would be so jealous. But then again, you're Lily Potter, you're always just used to having all the attention."

Sebastian immediately bit his tongue because Lily stormed out of the room, and he knew he was out of line, but he just wanted to share his happiness with her? Was that so wrong? He had listened to her tirade about Richard, and while Sebastian didn't know him too well, he knew Lily could do better. She would get over it, she always did, he figured, so he just went to his own, his thoughts occupied with Juniper.

In the evening, Lily and Sebastian came out at the same time.

"I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorr-"

Both began, and chuckled.

"Me first, Seb. I'm sorry, I was behaving like some possessive girlfriend, I really shouldn't have done that. I just don't know what came over me."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry I called you an attention whore. Because you're not, and I know how you feel about all that. So I'm sorry too. Friends again?"

"Friends."

"All right, good, because there is something we need to do."

Lily was puzzled, but let him take her hand and lead the way. He brought to some empty corner, and he said,

"Lily, as much as I like you, I only like you as a person."

"I know that. That's exactly how I feel about you too, Seb."

"So you agree we make good friends for each other, but where are you going with this?"

"Lily," Sebastian sighed, "I don't think we can continue this anymore. Us. As a couple. Because it's rather obvious that we are much better off as friends."

And the light bulb went off in Lily's head. They were breaking up…and what was that…that…that….stinging feeling inside of her? And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop a tear forming in her eye, so she looked down, making sure Sebastian couldn't see it. She tried blinking it away, but no to avail.

"Maybe you're right, Seb." Lily said, making sure her voice didn't croak.

"Right well, are we still studying for Potions' together?" Sebastian asked, in what he thought was a hopeful tone.

Lily nodded, finally lifting her head, quickly wiping away that stray, stupid, tear. She let out a sigh, as Sebastian walked off.

Why was she hurting over this? This was bound to happen someday, the whole point of them 'dating' was to break-up more or less. So then why couldn't she get it through her thick head? And finally, the dam broke. The tears she held in, came pouring down her face, and she cursed herself for acting like this was a real break up. _It's a fake break up_, so then why did she feel like it was real? And all of a sudden, why did she remember that silent promise to Astoria?

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's not as long as the others, but I honestly didn't think there was anything else to write…next chapter is super important…because we find out who realizes their feelings first!! And as much as you all hate me right now, this was kinda necessary, and it almost broke my heart to write it…but I had to do it. The question now is, what do you think is going to happen? Do let me know, so drop a review!! Thank you so much! And if you don't mind, I have posted a new poll, so if you could please vote in it, it's about what you guys want to read next…thanks!


	26. Realization

A/N: So now, here we are at chapter 26. This is a pretty important chapter. Also this chapter is dedicated to Calcetera, because I feel really bad for not having dedicated a chapter to her yet, especially since her reviews tend to be good, all-rounded critiques, which is something every author needs once in a while, even if it is criticism and I really didn't know that until she started reviewing this story. So this one's for you, girl! If you're out there and still reading!! And as always, thank you to merkandtwisty, Faerie0975, ktpotter93, ceh92, runningYODA and Susie Thank you so much for it all!

* * *

Valentine's Day was approaching, and Lily was still contemplating saying yes to Richard. The truth was, it wasn't as easy to say yes as she thought it would have been. Word of Lily and Sebastian's break-up spread like wildfire, of course all gossip did, but this was good news for the entire school. The most wanted guy and the most wanted girl who had become the most wanted couple, were suddenly available again, and right when Valentine's Day was around the corner. Girls threw themselves at Sebastian, who being the pig he was, thoroughly flirted with everyone. Boys went back to asking Lily, who rejected every single one of them. Even Richard. Lily knew that if Richard wanted her, he would have to be willing to break down the walls she had built up herself. The only thing was, Richard knew that, so he didn't give up. Of course, Lily was unaware of this. She was just sitting by the pond, thinking of how distant Sebastian grew, after their break-up, especially when he said things wouldn't change. He was more or less back to being the old pig that he had been. She was conversing with her thoughts when a voice interrupted her.

"Have you decided yet?" Lily turned to see Richard. She knew well what he was talking about.

"Richard, I," Lily began, preparing to say no again, but she remembered her anger from earlier, and said, "would love to accompany to Hogsmeade this weekend for Valentines's Day."

Richard grinned, how long could she resist? He was right, as soon as Malfoy would break her heart, she would come running to him.

"All right, well, I will meet you in the Gryffindor Common Room at ten, is that okay?"

"It's fine, Richard."

"Right, well, top of the day to ya." Richard said, smirking and walking off.

Lily replayed the memory of the day after their break-up over and over in her head.

"_Wow, Lily. I can't believe it, I mean things are actually 'over' between us." Sebastian said, as they were studying for Potions' together._

"_Yeah, me neither. I'm so used to having you around, it's weird now…what we have."_

"_Yeah, so you know why I chose that one place right, to break up?"_

_Lily turned to look at him,_

"_No, actually, I was wondering about that."_

"_You see, that is where Abbey Dimmsdale always hangs out, if she overheard us, I knew the news would spread. I'm brilliant, aren't I?"_

"_As much as I hate to stroke your ego, yes, that was good." Lily said, as dully as she possibly could. Sebastian ignored her tone and continued,_

"_But Merlin, the stories, I've been hearing, there was this really wild one about you bawling your eyes out or something along those lines."_

_Lily immediately stiffened._

"_Right." She said, hoping he wouldn't notice her tone, which thankfully, he didn't. And they just went back to their studying._

Why did she miss him so much? It wasn't like they were even really dating. _Yet, he's been the best boyfriend you've ever had._ Now that was just downright sad. The one guy who had been good to her was the one who wasn't even really her boyfriend. But she had Richard to look forward to, so she dismissed any thoughts of Sebastian.

* * *

Lily waited patiently for Richard, seeing as he was twenty minutes late. Ten more minutes, and she was going back to her dorm. Suddenly, she saw Syria come down, and made her way over.

"Hey, Syria, love. How are you?"

"Hello, Lily. I am all right, how about yourself?"

Lily was appalled at Syria's tone. She seemed so…mature.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"The better question is, are you sure, you're okay? Because trust me, I've heard the rumors, Lily, and when I talked to Seb, it broke my heart to hear they were true. Why?"

"Maybe it's best your brother and I just stay friends, Syria."

"You still care about him, I can see it in your eyes."

"Since when are you so mature, missy?"

Syria shrugged.

"I'm normally like this, I just act like a six year old around my brothers and father so I can play the sob-baby-girl card all the time."

Lily just smiled and shook her head.

"Well, it's nice to know what goes on in that little head of yours."

"I'm telling you, Lily. I'm cleverer than what everyone gives me credit, but the way I see it, is this. All right, so it's Seb's last year here, and I'm going to have to grow up next year anyway, being on my own and whatnot. So might as well enjoy the pampered princess treatment while it lasts."

"Wow, somehow I never expected this from you."

"Ehh, well, my mom and I bonded a lot over the break, much to Seb's displeasure, but, it feels good. None of them understand what it's like to be a girl, not that they can…you know, since my father and brothers are men…but that's the real reason why I've started to grow up. I finally know what it's like to be a woman."

Lily gasped, understanding what Syria was saying.

"Oh my gosh! When?"

"Over the break, actually. Scorpius and Sebastian were furious for a week, they and Dad didn't talk to me. I think Dad's still in denial. But I'm glad I had Mum to help cope with it, -her and I are becoming really close actually,- and it's really not as bad as people make it sound…well, okay it is, but still, it feels good to be a woman."

"Well, we don't want you growing up too fast, Syria."

"Don't worry your pretty head about me. But you know what's sad, Lily? I just thought that my family was complete, and then you and Seb had to go break up. I talked to him, asking him why, and he told me the same thing you did."

"Syria, I want you to know, that just because your brother and I aren't…dating…anymore, doesn't mean I don't care about you. If you ever need anything, trust me, you can always count on me. I'm here for you."

"You know, Lily, you say that, but really, is it practical?"

Syria's words stung Lily like no other.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, okay, now that you're not together with Seb, I'm not nearly going to see you as often. And after you graduate, maybe if you come visit Rose at Malfoy Manor, I'll see you or something, but other than that? Well, it's time I get going, John wanted to study with me. So I'll see you later."

Lily stood perplexed as Syria left. She had gotten taller, and looked a bit older than her age of twelve. Hell, the way she just behaved was far more mature than her age. The Syria Lily knew was so innocent and carefree, this striking change in her, it was shocking. But Lily remembered herself at this age, and she was exactly like Syria. Richard still hadn't arrived, and Lily decided that she had been stood up. As she made her way back to her Dorm, she saw Richard standing out.

"Where have you been, Lily? I've been waiting like a bloody idiot here. I thought you said to meet you here, in front of your Dorm."

"Richard, you were the one who said, that you will meet me in the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Lily, perhaps your memory needs to jogged, because I remember you clearly stating to meet me in front your Dorm."

"Richard, I-never mind, I'm sorry. Let's just go, yeah?"

"But you do agree, that I am right, and you're wrong, yes?"

"Yes, you're right, Se-Richard."

Richard's eyes narrowed. It was obvious she wasn't over Malfoy, despite how he had broken her heart. But she would get over him soon, because Richard knew he was more than enough to compensate. She wore a brown sweater to accompany her eyes, and Richard was hoping to get that sweater off soon. But for now, he was just content with her company.

As Richard took her Madame Puddifoot's, Lily couldn't help but recall how much Sebastian hated the place. She chuckled as she remembered how he said, only spineless men took their girls to Puddifoot's.

"What's so funny, Lily?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just…it's nothing."

"Okay." Richard said, shrugging. _If it was Seb, he would have pressed on until he got an answer out of me. And if I wouldn't have given him an answer, he would have given me shit about being mysterious._

But Lily decided to overlook it. As they went it, Lily remembered how she always used to scorn the people that came in here. Never once did she think she would be one of those people to come on a date here.

As the waitress approached, she politely asked what Richard wanted, and then looked at Lily, who suddenly realized that from now on, she would have to order for herself. Richard didn't know her the way Sebastian did.

"I would like the shrimp special of the day, and with green tea please."

"Gosh, Lily. You're such a health nut. You're already too skinny, you'll be on the verge of anorexia if you continue this."

Richard's words reminded her of the time Sebastian had told her a similar thing, only it sounded like a compliment coming from him.

"_You know, no wonder you maintain such a lovely figure. You always eat so healthy. Frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Chicken instead of lamb or beef. And the way you cook, it's healthy, but delicious too. Not to mention you go running as well. Lily, you inspire me."_

"_Sebastian, if I really was your girlfriend, you would have earned a kiss right now."_

"_Ahh, you could still kiss me, I'm always up for a good snog."_

"_You're such a pig."_

"_I prefer hormonal teenage boy, but I suppose pig suffices as well."_

"_What's got you in such a jumpy mood today? You look like Christmas is early or something?"_

"_Syria's mad at John!!"_

"_Oh, God. Seb, that's not something to be happy about. She's probably upset. Why don't you try to make her feel better?"_

"_I did. I bought her some chocolates and whatnot. You know, stuff like we got for her that one time. But yeah, she's mad at him, and I'm pretty happy about that."_

"_You really shouldn't be. He's her best friend, you know."_

"_Guys and girls can never be just friends."_

Lily wondered why that last time lingered in her mind longer than necessary.

"Lily, are you paying attention, I was talking about how I got four letters of job offers from the Ministry already."

"Oh, sorry, I must zoned out."

"What happened to your wonderful attention span, Lily?"

"Richard, why are you making a big deal out of this?"

"Because you won't even listen to me. You're being so rude! I understand why Malfoy dumped you now. You're so bloody hard to date."

Lily opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. She got up and left. This was ridiculous. Sure, it was her fault, but did Richard have to be a jerk? Sebastian never did that. Even when it was Lily's fault, he knew it was in his best interests to just apologize. She tried to blink the tears away. She hurried to her dorm, hoping she could talk to Sebastian. She went into his room without knocking, and boy did she stumble upon a sight. Neither of them were wearing shirts, and Sebastian's hand was on the clasp on Juniper's bra, the other being on the button of her jeans.

Lily immediately turned red, and mumbled a quick apology. It had been quite a day. First, her horrible time with Richard, and then the whole walking in on Sebastian and Juniper. And there was that bizarre clawing feeling again, as she played the scene over and over in her head. She just shook her head. About twenty minutes later, Sebastian came, and taking one look at her eyes, he could tell that she had been crying.

"Lily, what's wrong? Did Richard say something? Did he do anything?"

_What's wrong is, he's not you!_

"No, I guess I just overreacted. He was talking to me, and I got bored. I guess I don't like him as much as I thought I did."

"Well, that's all right. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry, I, you know…"

"Ahh, no problem." Sebastian managed to get out, despite turning red. Truth be told, he was planning on yelling at Lily, asking her where her manners were, but when he saw her tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Actually, I'm surprised you didn't yell at me." And upon seeing his expression, Lily said, "You were planning on it, weren't you?"

And for the first time, Lily laughed, causing Sebastian to laugh as well. They were in their own little world, until they heard a throat cleared. Juniper was looking expectantly at Sebastian. He got up, and walked Juniper out, kissing her before she left.

"Sorry about that." he said, when he came back.

"No problem." Lily said, not looking up.

"I tell you what, Lily. How about we have a 'break-up date'?"

"A what!!?"

"A break-up date. A date to celebrate the end of our 'relationship' and the beginning of our friendship."

"What the hell is that going to do?'

"I don't know, but it will make you feel better, so it's worth it."

"Sebastian Malfoy, when I will ever understand what goes on in that head of yours?"

"I think you understand better than anyone else already, Lils."

"Flattery will get you-"

"Nowhere, I know…so what say? Tomorrow, you, me, and a break-up date?"

"I guess." Lily replied, shrugging her shoulders, and shaking her head, but even she couldn't deny she was feeling loads better, after that simple talk with Sebastian.

* * *

The next day, Lily and Sebastian left in the late afternoon for their break-up date. Lily let Sebastian pick the spot, because she knew if she didn't, he would pester her.

"First stop, ZONKO'S!" Sebastian boomed.

"Oh dear, why did I agree to this?" Lily murmured, as she followed the idiot.

A little ball hit her in the head, and Lily wondered what it was. She looked around. Then suddenly, another one hit her. She was sure Sebastian had something to do with this.

"Seb? Where are you? OUCH!! These…these…these…whatever they are, they hurt. Ow! Stop!! Seb, I'm gonna hurt you when I get my hands on you."

"Haha, not if you can't catch me!!" Sebastian said, zooming around the shop, assaulting, at least in Lily's eyes, with those bloody little white balls.

"You know what the coolest thing is? It's never going to end, because I'll never run out of balls!!!"

"Sebastian, just you wait. I'm gonna get you." And Lily reached over for the blue glue putty. She hauled it on Sebastian's hand, which immediately froze. However, since it was only trial putty, the effect didn't last long, and Sebastian and Lily resumed their little fight again.

* * *

"Hah! I love the trial part of Zonko's!! It's my favorite part of coming here!!" Lily exclaimed, once they were both done.

"Merlin, look at the time, it's been four hours!! Time flies by so fast. Hell, it felt like we were flying."

"You might as well have been. Going at the speed you were." Lily said.

Sebastian puffed out his chest,

"I'm an Alpha Male."

"No, you're just weird." Lily said, shrugging making her way into The Three Broomsticks.

Both ordered firewhiskeys. And once they both had a good buzz going, Sebastian asked,

"Hey, I have a challenge for you. Let's see who can drink the most."

"Obviously, it's you, moron. You're the guy, thus you have a higher tolerance and all that good shit."

"Yeah, but we're supposed to be celebrating." Sebastian retorted, yelling the waiter to send another round, and when it came, he said, "Bottoms up, baby."

Lily merely shrugged, since it was just Sebastian.

* * *

They had ordered three more rounds, since Lily knew that was all she could handle and still know what was going on.

They took a secret passage, that led to the hallway right before their dorm. After they entered, Lily made her way to her room, and Sebastian followed her.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"I'm being a gentleman." Sebastian said, as if it were obvious, his words slurred.

"Oh, really? And how exactly are you doing that?"

"I'm walking you to your room."

"Despite being drunk?"

"Yes." Sebastian nodded.

"And that constitutes you to be a gentleman?"

"Of course, it does. I need to be there to protect you. Someone could take advantage of you."

"I see. Well, there's no one else here but me and you. And what if _you _take advantage of me?" Lily let out, being bolder than she would if sober.

"Well, if anyone's going to take advantage of you, might as well be me!" Sebastian exclaimed, stumbling.

"Oooh, careful. But I guess you won't get lucky tonight. My room is right here. About two steps away."

"Oh, well, in that I will just go and sleep in my room. Actually, on second thought, I can sleep in here? There are monsters in my room."

"Sebastian, there are no monsters in your room."

"No, but it's a good excuse to stay where I am."

"Go, you prat."

Sebastian slumped his shoulders, and pouted muttering, just before entering his room.

"You're mean."

Lily just chuckled. That was what she had grown to love about him. That he could be perfectly mature, or act like a little child. He could be a best friend, and a best boyfriend. The way he read her better than anyone else did. And there was that stupid grin that always came on her face the minute Sebastian's name was mentioned anywhere. That stupid lovesick grin.

Lily knew he loved that stupid lovesick grin of hers.

"No wonder I love him so much." Lily sighed to herself.

And it finally hit her, as all her memories with Sebastian, from the time since when they were nine years old clouded her mind. Their very first argument, the first time she hexed him because he hexed her, his teasing, his one-liners, the way he made fun of her all those years, the way she had misjudged him so much, the love for his family, the way he had everything in guy that Lily could hope for.

She couldn't fall in love with Richard…or anyone else for that matter…because she was already in love.

Lily Luna Potter was in love with Capricornus Sebastian Malfoy.

Oh boy.

* * *

A/N: So, for those of you who voted Lily!! In the first poll, you are correct!!!! Although, I must say, I was surprised with the results. Most people thought Sebastian would come to terms with his feelings first…but I had planned Lily, mainly because she's a girl, and guys are just idiots…no offense…


	27. The Pain of Heartbreak

A/N: Thank you to merkandtwisty, Cottonpaw, ktpotter93, noilly, OurLoveIsForever, J.C., for the wonderful reviews! So here is chapter 27. And things are starting to wind down…

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It was already March, and Lily was _still _wondering what she was going to do…she was in love with Sebastian, it was plain and simple…well, not really simple. When she finally figured it out, everything made sense. The butterflies in her stomach, that she used to think was her being nervous. The thundering of her heart every time she knew he was watching her. The jealousy anytime another girl flirted with him. The question now was, what was she going to do about it? Despite being in Gryffindor, she knew she didn't have the guts to go and tell him. It was obvious how much he liked Juniper. The face that they were finally dating and that she walked in on them snogging from time to time just made things worse. And she wouldn't compromise with his happiness, under any costs. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was him. But now that he had become such an integral part of her life, how was she to let go? Going simply a month without him had driven her absolutely mad. He just cared about her in a platonic way. She would never be as good as Juniper. And that hurt. It hurt very much. The fact that she wasn't enough. The fact that she would never be what he wanted. The fact that…he could never love her. And Lily cried, again, like she did whenever she though about her situation, because what else could she do? She just fell on her bed, ignoring her homework, her readings, Sebastian being the only one on her mind.

All she could think of was why. Why him? She wasn't supposed to fall in love with him. This wasn't part of the plan. And it wasn't fair, he got his dream girl, and yet, here she was pining for him. _This is ridiculous, Lily. Snap out of it. Lily Potter doesn't cry over boys._ But the thing was, he wasn't just any boy. He was Sebastian Malfoy, and she was just like the rest of the Hogwarts' female population, hopelessly in love with him.

"Snap out of it, Lily. There is no need for you to pine over him. You can do so much better. Guys fall at your feet at the snap of your fingers. You can-oh, who am I kidding?" Lily said, out loud. She just shook her head and started crying again. No matter how pathetic it was.

* * *

Lily had decided she would shift to France during the Easter break, which would start at the end of the week. She tried, numerous time, she had tried to tell Sebastian how she felt, but the fear of rejection held her back. If he didn't return her feelings, then what? The heartbreak would shatter her. Or rather, shatter her further. But every single time she saw him with Juniper, it killed her. Quite literally killed her. She also knew that if she left without telling him, then she would regret it for the rest of her life, thinking about what could have been. She did the only thing she could do in such a situation, thanking that Sebastian had a meeting with McGonagall and then practice, she called Rose, Roxy, and Beth on the Floo.

Once all of them were connected, Lily said,

"So, I need advice from all of you."

"Well, I'm sure we all figured that out, Lils. Since we're all on call together. So, pray tell, what's going on?" Roxy said.

"Well, Seb and I broke up.-"

"Yeah, we heard." Rose cut in. "Are you finally coming to your senses and making up with him? Please tell you are, because it's very imperative that you make up first, Lily."

Lily was curious, hearing the particular diction Rose chose, but she would ask about that later.

"Well, actually, you see, Sebastian and I…we were never…erm, you know…together." Lily said, the last word barely audible.

"You weren't what?" Beth asked.

"You heard me." Lily shot back.

"No, we didn't, Lily. You and Seb never what?" Roxy asked, curious.

"You two were never together, were you? Scorp, Al and I had been right the whole time, isn't it?" Rose asked in disbelief. She shook her head red curls. She couldn't believe it.

Lily couldn't bring herself to look them in the eyes. The betrayal on Roxy's face, the disbelief on Rose's, and the confusion on Beth's, just made her guilt worse.

"But there is something I have to tell you." Lily said, taking a deep breath, knowing it was now or never. "I really am in love with him, now."

Roxy spit out the punch she was drinking. Rose snorted.

"Well, even Hugo could have told you that." Rose blurted, and as soon as Hugo's name was mentioned, Beth turned beet red.

"Well, what are you going to do about it, Lily?" Roxy asked.

"I don't know. He's dating Juniper now."

"Her name's Cheeseface…well, according to Syria at least. She's been begging Scorp to come down there, and sort things out between the two of you, and actually, all of our parents were surprised to hear about it…but Scorp, Al, and I decided we wouldn't interfere, since you both are adults, and we didn't want to butt in your lives. So it's rather ironic you're calling on me for this." Rose said.

"Well, I think you should tell him, Lily. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me, I would know." Roxy said.

"Lils!! I have an idea. How about you plan the most romantic date ever? And tell him over that?"

"That does sound like a good idea, Beth. But he's dating Juniper, and he's so happy. I don't want to ruin that."

"But don't you see!! He was ten times happier with you!!!!" All three of the other girls exclaimed.

"But I know how much he likes Jun-"

"But he's in love with _you_, Lily." Rose said, "And I can't believe you don't realize that…but then again, he doesn't realize it either…boys are so stupid!!!"

"Well, he is Hugo's best friend, Hugh must be rubbing off on him." Beth said, recalling her own issues with Hugo.

"Life was so much easier when all we had to worry about was getting our dresses dirty in the mud." Roxy sighed. "Of course, I never wore dresses when I was younger…"

"The point is, Lily, it's obvious you're in love with him, and he's in love with you, so just tell him!!!"

"Rose, it's not that easy-"

"You're in Gryffindor for Merlin's sake, Lily!!!!"

"Rose!!!"

"Lily, Rose is right, you really need to just tell him, because trust me, you will regret it if you don't." Roxy said, her voice no longer holding sorrow for Lily, and was more commanding instead.

Lily just looked at all three of them.

"Well!! What are you waiting for?" Beth exclaimed. "Go get 'em, tiger!!"

"Lion, Beth. I'm a Gryffindor, remember?" Lily said, as she walked off, thanking Rose, Roxy, and Beth for their advice.

* * *

Friday evening, Lily left a note for Sebastian, as he was due from Quidditch practice anytime soon, she had set up everything just the way she knew he would love it. The room was lit up with candles, all his favorites were made just the way he liked it, and Lily was taking her time to look extra attractive, with Rose's help, of course, as she was instructing her through the Floo. She was wearing a short black dress that reached the top of her knees, and crisscrossed in the back. She gave her eyes a smoky look, with full pink lips.

"_Sebastian won't know what hit him!" Rose said, getting all excited. "Think about it, Lily. It's your first really official date!!"_

"_Rose, you're overreacting." Lily said dryly._

"_Lily, I promise, you will feel so much better once you tell him. Just relax, you'll be fine."_

* * *

Sebastian entered his common room, and found a note on the coffee table.

_Go ahead and shower, dinner's ready, but I've put a heating charm on it so it won't get cold. It's all your favorites. We'll talk more during dinner. I have something important to tell you._

After Sebastian showered, he couldn't help but be mesmerized. He realized that Lily must have placed a charm so that he didn't see her decorations earlier. Lily had really overdone herself. This was so…romantic, and Sebastian didn't missed the lurch his heart did. As Lily emerged, he took in a huge breath, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Lily smiled, and said,

"How'd you know, Lils?"

"How'd I know what, Seb?" Lily asked, with a sly smile.

"That I was looking for the perfect date to take Juniper on? I swear no one knows me better than you!"

"Sebastian, you really like Juniper, don't you?" Lily said, defeated.

"Yeah, I do. Much more than I thought." Sebastian said, exaggerating the truth a bit. The truth was, Juniper was slightly…boring, compared to the other girls he had dated. More specifically, Lily. Not that he considered what he and Lily had a real relationship, because it wasn't. But he also knew Lily would get upset thinking about how he wasn't exactly happy. She always just cared so much about everyone, and Sebastian didn't have the heart to tell her that things weren't great between him and Juniper. Or rather, he was still trying to convince himself that there even was something going on between him and Juniper. It just wasn't what he had expected, but he was determined to make things better. And he had tried, tried really hard. Juniper had peculiar tastes, and he had catered to every one of them.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy, Seb. Because seeing you happy, makes me happy." Lily said, swallowing her tears back. Sebastian seemed to like Juniper so much, and Lily didn't have the heart to tell him the truth…or at least the truth she had intended on telling him.

"So, how did you think of this, Lils?"

"Well, actually, I had to tell you something."

"So, tell tell. I'm all ears."

"Seb, I…I…I'm going to France…this week…because of a special Healer's Training Program. I will take my NEWTs with the students at Beauxbaton's, but my training will start before that, actually. The NEWTs are just a formal qualification, really. You remember that application that I went to Scorpius's office for? Over Christmas? Yeah, it was for this." Lily tried to get it out as fast as she could. She had been planning to shift anyway. But how the hell did she get into Gryffindor? She had no bravery at all, it seemed. How come when it came to hexing the boy into oblivion, she could do it in a split second but when it came to telling him that she was in love with him? Why the hell was that so hard?

"What??? WHY!!!??"

"Because it's my dream. Why else?" Lily said, her frustration from not being able to Sebastian channeling into anger.

"But then you'll be away from your family, and your cousins, and-"

"And I'll be near Beth, who still happens to be my best friend. Why are you making such a big deal out of this, Seb?"

"It is a big deal!! Lily, okay, I understand Beth may be your best friend okay, Lily, I get it…but you're my best friend, and I don't know how I feel about this."

"Me?? Hugo is your best friend, Seb. Where would you even get that from?"

"Hugo is my best mate, and Beth is your best friend, but Lily, you and I get each other, we need each other. Lily, you can't go off to France. That's not how it works. You're Lily, and I'm Seb, we…you can't go. I'm not gonna let you." Sebastian said.

"Why are you bothering to stop me, Seb?"

"Because without you, who will I go to when I need advice? Who will I go to, Lily, when I need to talk about my mother, and how she's just barging her way back into our family? And what about you being Head Girl? How's that going to work out?"

"Well, that will work out just fine, because Juniper will be Head Girl. You know, Juniper Quasi, your GIRLFRIEND???? She's the one who you're supposed to go to, Seb. Not me!! She's the one who's supposed to be your confidante, not me."

"Juniper's not her!!!"

"Not who, Seb?"

"She's not my dream girl, Lily."

"Dream girl?" Lily said, her tone suddenly calmer.

"Yeah, you know. I started having dreams about her when I was really young, and one day, I hope to find her. And I thought that dating Juniper, I would stop having those dreams, but they just became more and more prominent."

"Well, Sebastian, maybe she isn't the right one for you." Lily said, finding some hope.

"But why isn't she? I just can't figure that out! She's supposed to be!"

"Sebastian, what makes you say that? Did you ever think that maybe someone else could be your dream girl?" Lily said, hoping he would take the hint.

"No, you know what, I'm just gonna keep on dating her in hopes that maybe one day, I'll wake up and realize she's the one for me."

"Sebastian, you don't get it, do you?"

"I don't get what, Lily?"

"Forget it!" Lily said, storming into her room. She immediately changed and got out her trunk, and started packing her clothes. How dense was that idiot? Why were all boys such douche bags? How did he not get her explicit hints? She should have just left in the first place.

Sebastian just didn't know what to do, so he just sat in their living room. When Lily came out, she was in sweats, she had her trunk packed.

"I'm leaving tomorrow." Lily said.

"Why should I care? It's not like anything I say makes a difference. You can do whatever the hell you fucking want, because I don't mean anything to you, not a friend, not a confidante, nothing."

"Sebastian Malfoy, you have no Goddamn idea how much you fucking mean to me, so before you give your bullshit, how about you stop and think for a minute, huh?"

"Think about what, Lily?"

"See, this is exactly what I mean. Never mind, it's not like you would get it anyway. Just forget about it, Sebastian." Lily sighed. Deciding everything was ready, she went to her room to get some sleep. She closed her eyes, the tears sliding down the sides of her face.

Sebastian wallowed over to his room, thinking about the fight he had just had with Lily. He needed a drink. He took out some fire whiskey and gulped it down his throat. Damn, it had never burned so much before. He kept on drinking but that feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't go away. The alcohol really wasn't making him feel any better. Why was Lily going away? What would he do without her? He couldn't even fucking deal with the thought of her going away, so how was he supposed to deal with her actually leaving? He didn't like this at all. She was such an integral part of his life, she was…she was…she was Lily. His friend Lily who had helped him cope with everything. The Lily who knew him better than he knew himself. The Lily he knew better than he knew himself. He was hurting, over the thought of losing the one person he had let in. If someone had told him had told him seven months ago, that Lily Potter would be the one to take his walls down, he would have laughed in their faces. But today Sebastian would have agreed, that no one got him like she did. Fuck, why did it have to hurt so damn much? Why the hell was he hurting over this? Shouldn't he be happy at the thought of Lily's dream finally coming true, and then the fact that his girlfriend would move in soon. But he wasn't excited, not about Juniper becoming Head Girl, not about Lily's happiness, he was just…depressed...It wasn't supposed to be this way. He would think about it in the morning, he decided. He had had enough drama for the night. Taking one more drink, he collapsed on the bed.

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A/N: All right, so…any thoughts on as to how it may turn out?? Because at this point, things aren't looking good for Lily and Seb, are they? So we will just have to see what happens. Do leave a review!!! And I'm sorry it's so short, it's just that I really wanted to make the next chapter it's own chapter, so yeah, sorry for the short chapter. Please leave a review, and let me know what you think!!! And I'm thinking the next chapter is the last one…maybe…actually, I'm fairly positive…so expect an update soon!!


	28. Meant to Be

A/N: I was going to put the thanks at the beginning, but then the list got longer than I anticipated, so it's at the end. Please read it. Thank you. And I would like to thank you all for your support. This chapter is dedicated to all of you who have ever read this.

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Sebastian hadn't talked to Lily in three days. Three whole days!! And it was torture. Pure torture. He had tried, but Lily just ignored him. He wrote to her multiple times, and no responses came back. He realized he had been rude to her, but really? It was her fault, she was the one going away. Did she not get how much he needed her? She was going to leave in two days and he really didn't want to part with her on bad terms. Well, okay, he really didn't want her to leave at all, but still…They had grown so close over the course of the year. It just didn't feel right…being away from his Lily. Just like being with Juniper didn't feel right. He had broken up with her before the break, because he finally realized that his heart wasn't in the relationship. Juniper hated him again, but he honestly didn't give a flying fuck. All he cared about was the redheaded, brown-eyed girl, who was going to France, without even considering how it would make him feel. And to say he felt bad was the biggest damn understatement of the century. He was at home for the Easter break, and he told Scorpius the entire truth. Scorpius had just said that Sebastian needed to wake up and smell the coffee so to speak, but Sebastian had no idea as to what Scorpius was talking about. Then Scorpius told him that he was the biggest idiot in the world, and a blind bat. So Sebastian didn't take that too well…

The dreams with his dream girl were just recurring more and more. And each time, he was closer to seeing who she was, and just when he would almost see her, he would wake up for some or other reason. He was so close, so close to realizing who she was. All of this was so frustrating, and he had to deal with it all alone. If he and that idiot were on talking terms, he would have talked to her, but no she had to go and be stubborn. Not to mention, Astoria seemed to weasel her way back into the family. Syria seemed to take a liking to her, and when Sebastian asked her about this, she said that she needed a female figure to look up to. He wondered what would happen when Syria found out exactly what kind of a role model Astoria would be. Sure she had tried, but Sebastian knew better than to trust her. Speaking of the devil…

"Sebastian, I think we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you, Astoria."

"Sebastian, please…I think you need some motherly advice."

"The day you actually act like a mother, I may consider taking your damn advice, but right now, I don't think it's any of your bloody business as to what's going on in my life."

"You know, Lily was here this morning. While you were asleep."

"What!!!??? She was here, and she didn't even come to see me? She was here, and nobody thought I should know??!!!! Merlin, I really do have a fucked up family."

Astoria sighed. She had received this sort of treatment from Sebastian from the very beginning and she hoped eventually, he would warm up to her. But that wasn't important right now…

"Sebastian, Lily came because she wanted me to make amends with you. Before she left, she came to apologize to me about not having fulfilled a promise that she made to me, and she came…because she loves you. And I think it's high time you realize that you're in love with her, too."

Sebastian's head shot up. Lily loved him? But he wasn't anything near what she wanted. She wanted someone who understood her, someone who would be her best friend and confidante, someone who would stay with her the rest of her life. And Sebastian…well, he…he…he didn't know…yet he was the one who said that Lily was his best friend and confidante, and…gosh, she loved him???

Astoria took this as her cue to continue.

"Sebastian, I know I will never get the respect I deserve from you. Or perhaps, I don't even deserve any," to this, Sebastian snorted, but Astoria ignored him, "but don't make the mistake I did. Don't lose the love of your life, because you're under some illusion about someone else, or that you need someone else, because you're miserable without her. Look at yourself, look at what you have become, dear!"

Sebastian shook his head, he wasn't sure he was in love with Lily. Yes, he had always been attracted to her, and he had never met anyone who was so fucking smart, so damn beautiful, and yet so nice at the same time. Not an ounce of arrogance in the girl. But love? He didn't know shit about love.

"Astoria, I really don't think you're one to give me advice on love…I just-"

"I'm the only one who you will listen to, because you, my dear son, are a conceited, arrogant, spoilt, rich kid, in other words, a mere reflection of me. And all of that I can handle, but I won't let you make the mistake I did, about leaving the one I loved most. You know it takes one to know one, Sebastian. It really does…and despite what I have or haven't done rather in the past, I do care about you, because you are my son and I do love you. So please, just take my advice, and tell her how you feel."

"Tell her? I'm not even sure how I feel, how the hell am I going to say anything to her? You know what, how about you get the hell out of my room, because you're not welcome here, and neither is your so-called advice, I don't need it."

Astoria sighed and shook her head as she left the room. She knew she had made mistakes in the past, but she refused to let Sebastian do the same thing. Because he would never forgive himself, just like Astoria had never fully forgiven herself.

Sebastian laid back on his bed, thinking about what his mother had said. Lily was in love with him? And he was in love with her too? He tried to think of any hints she might have given…

Well, Sebastian, maybe she isn't the right one for you.

Sebastian, you don't get it, do you?

You know, sometimes, you really make me wonder about what it would be like if we were actually dating…

You never fail to surprise me.

Sometimes I really do think you know me better than I know myself.

Her smile lingered in his memory, and he just couldn't get her gorgeous face out of his mind. And what was weirder was, he didn't want to. A part of him had always been attracted to her, but he didn't want to send out love declarations until he was absolutely sure. He shook his head, not knowing what to do. He liked Lily, sure enough, but this was all…so weird, yet so…he couldn't describe it. Why was it always so fucking complicated when it came to Lily Potter? The girl herself was simple, but her relationship with Sebastian never was.

"Why is it so bloody frustrating?!!!" Sebastian said.

"Because you're an idiot." Sebastian looked up to see his older brother in the hallway.

"Thank you, first Astoria comes and grills me, and now you too, who's next, Syria?"

"Well, I would give you advice, but it's the same thing that Mum told you and that Scorp is gonna tell you." Syria said, popping out from behind her eldest brother, the look on her face as if daring Sebastian to challenge her. "But I have better things to do than to tell you what you should do. I have a date with John."

"DATE??" Scorpius and Sebastian said at the same time.

"Oh, calm down…it's just a play-date so that when I actually do date, I can be ready."

"Yeah, you're not dating 'til you're about fifty." Sebastian said.

"No, seventy-five." Scorpius added.

Syria huffed and stomped out of the room.

"Okay, back to you being the world's biggest idiot. Do you really not realize how much you love her, Seb? Really? I mean, come on, your love story is more clichéd than mine and Rose. How the hell are you so fucking dense?"

"I'm not completely sure if I'm in love with her or if I love her, love her. I mean, okay I am attracted to her, but so is the rest of the Hogwarts' male population. And she just…she gets me. More than I think anyone else ever has."

"Seb, stop and think about it. She has everything you ever wanted in a girl, and so much more. Have you heard yourself talk about her? You can't stop once you start, and damn it, you've never been happier than when you were dating her…even if you weren't really dating her. Sebastian, just pull out of your ass and admit it."

"But I can't say anything until I'm fully sure, and I'm not-"

"WHY THE HELL NOT, SEB? You know, I give up. I tried talking to her, and you know what she said, she said that she just wants you to be happy. That's all she cares about. I try talking to you, but you are a fucking idiot. You both are just the most stubborn, frustrating people I have ever had the displeasure of knowing."

Scorpius just shook his head. Why couldn't those two idiots just talk? He and Rose never had a problem like this, but then they had been pretty vocal about their feelings. Or he had at least, after he had snogged her senseless. But then again, Rose and Scorpius weren't the type to deny their emotions like Lily and Seb…

"Sebastian, if you're not in love with her, then why do you miss her? Why are you so miserable without her? And how come once you started dating her, your dreams about your dream girl stopped? Think about it…ponder, my dear brother…ponder."

It was true. Once he and Lily started dating, well not really dating, but pretending or whatever, he hadn't dreamed of his so-called perfect girl once. He figured it was because the plan had been occupying his mind. Well, Lily was always more on his mind then the actual plan itself, which is why he never dreamt about his dream girl during that time…_or perhaps, you didn't need to dream anymore because you had finally found her._

And there was that annoying voice, that always confused him. Or rather, always told him what he needed to hear…and finally, he knew what he had to do.

"Hey Scorp! I need a favor…" And Sebastian told Scorpius what he wanted to do.

* * *

Sebastian grinned. It was all set. He waited for Lily to arrive at Mungo's, since that's where she was scheduled to leave from, and she was due any minute now. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face…when…

Lily glanced at her watch, making sure she was on time. She was doing good, staying five minutes ahead of schedule, and everything was perfect when two older men she recognized from her interview approached her.

"We're sorry, Ms. Potter. But we have decided to revoke your internship."

"Excuse me, sir, is there some kind of problem?"

"Yes, we have decided that since you have not finished your schooling, it would be highly inappropriate."

"But sir, the program requires that I still be in school. Or at least, I was under such an assumption?"

"Ms. Potter, we regret to inform you this, but the only reason you were selected was because of your last name. You don't exactly qualify for the internship training program."

"What?!! But I have splendid marks, and I scored highest in the preliminary exams, and I was the topper in the interview. I don't understand why-"

"We're sorry, Ms. Potter. We must take your leave now, and we do regret giving you this news, but it was necessary."

"But wait!! Please!! I-" Lily pleaded uselessly as the men went into the room she should have gone into. She dropped her belongings, and drooped her shoulders. A strand of her hair fell in her face, and before she could tuck it behind her ear, someone else did. Lily looked up to see the one person she couldn't bear to look at. Her anger at him boiling onto the surface.

"Sebastian, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to give you this." Sebastian said, handing Lily a letter. Lily poured over it, it was about a Healer training program.

"What's this all about?"

"Well, since you're not going to France, you might as well do the Healer training here in London."

"How do you know about that? Oh dear Merlin!! YOU SET IT UP!!!! You horrible, arrogant prat, you!" Lily said, smacking Sebastian again and again.

"Well, how else was I supposed to stop you from leaving? Speaking of stopping, please stop hitting me…or you can continue, as you seem to be doing."

"Why the hell should I fucking stop? You ruined my life!!! Do you have any idea how important that was to me?"

"Do you have any idea how important you are to me?"

At that, Lily stopped hitting him, and Sebastian took the opportunity to hold her wrists and pull her closer.

"Do you, Lily? Do you know what you are to me?" He whispered. But Lily couldn't bear to look him in the eye, because she knew what he was going to say, and he didn't feel the same about her.

"Sebastian, I understand you care but-"

"I care more than you think."

"I…Sebastian, you don't understand…you don't know…you don't get it…"

"If you're talking about you loving me, then you're right, I don't get it…I don't get how a girl like you would fall in love with a guy like me. I don't know what I did to deserve that. I don't understand why it took me so long to get it…but I thought you would like to know."

"Know what?"

"That I'm not in love with you…"

"What the fuck? Way to ruin the God damn moment!! You stop me, you tell all these sweet things, and now you're not in love with me? What the hell are you playing at?"

"Well, what I meant is, I'm not sure…because I've never been in love before…but people tell me I am, so I guess I am."

Lily huffed and shook her head, crossing her arms.

"So, you did all this because people said that you were in love with me?"

"Yes…I mean, no! I mean, I just…"

"You know what, forget it, Sebastian, I don't have time for this… I demand that you call those people back and tell them everything, and-"

"I did. I told them I had to stop you from leaving because you could be the possible love of my life…you know, THE ONE!!!"

"Bullshit! You just told me you didn't love me! Make up your mind, you fucking idiot! And come find me when you do…until then, sayonara!" Lily said, stomping off, the tears slipping down her cheeks. But she stopped dead in her tracks as he called her name.

"Lily, I look at you, and I see the most intelligent, beautiful, kind, amazing girl in the world. I talk to you, because I feel like I can trust you with anything. I listen to you, because most of the time…actually, all of the time, you know what you're talking about, even if I don't agree."

Sebastian took a step closer to her, continuing,

"I honestly don't know why I didn't get it before…I'm not saying I'm in love with you, because I don't want to say that until I'm sure, but I do think…that one day, I will be sure, and I know you will wait for me, if I let you."

To this, Lily nodded, the tears continuing to fall, and Sebastian kept on walking towards her, still facing her back…

"Lily don't go…I do think that someday, we could have a future together…if you just give me a chance. I don't know shit about love, but I can learn."

"You know, Seb. You're the world's biggest idiot, and sometimes I can't help but think, how did I end up falling in love with you?"

"What do you mean by that? Every girl in the bloody school worships me, and yet here I am, begging you not to go! You're pretty damn lucky that I care about you so deeply."

Lily whipped around.

"See, this is what I mean by your arrogant pig-headedness. You think you're so amazing!"

"But I am!! I'm Sebastian fucking Malfoy!! I'm what every girl wants."

"Yeah, well, every girl can't have you, because you're mine!!" Lily yelled, annoyed at the thought of anyone else being with Sebastian.

"See, now that wasn't so hard, was it? Why didn't you just tell me earlier?"

"Oh don't give me that, I did tell you. I dropped so many hints. I even-"

"I'm a guy! We don't do hints. You have to blatantly tell us."

"Don't blame it on me, Seb. It's your fault!"

"My fault?! You're the one who was running away to France!!!"

"I just wanted you to be happy!!"

"I'm only happy when I'm with you, damn it. I freaking…you know…almost love you…this all is just happening too soon, I swear, I will figure it out though…oh, fuck that." And he pulled him to her, capturing her lips with his own. He slipped an arm around her waist, and she was glad he did, because the way he was kissing her, she knew she couldn't keep herself steady on her own. She clung to him, an arm around his neck, and the other on his shirt. His other hand, gently stroking her jaw and neck, as he immersed himself in her. She bit down on his lip gently, and rubbed his hips with hers. And he couldn't take it anymore, he had to pull back before they got into a situation neither of them were ready for.

"So, what do you say, Lily?"

"I don't know…we may have to think of a plan…" Lily said, laughing, as Sebastian buried his face in her neck.

"Lily, let's face it, love. Your plans never work."

Lily pulled back,

"Oh, and yours do?"

"They're better than yours!"

"You just told me I was smarter than you…or you implied it at least."

"That was just so you would stop."

"Sebastian Malfoy! I swear you'll be the death of me."

"That's what she said."

"Why are we arguing? Isn't this the part where we're still supposed to be kissing passionately?"

"Yes, but like always, you started arguing with me."

"Me?!! You always blame it on me, Seb."

"Because it's usually your fault and as much as I love you…like a person…not love you, love you-"

"Just cut the crap, Seb. I'm tired of this."

"Me too, but I like getting you all riled up. You look more beautiful than ever."

To this, Lily couldn't help but smile.

"Hah! I win!! I got the last word in!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"Seb, how about you just-" And Lily couldn't continue because Sebastian shut her up, kissing her. She smiled against his lips, and once they pulled apart for air, Lily said,

"It was really was a perfect plan, wasn't it?"

"I don't know about that, but it sure had the perfect ending."

* * *

A/N: So, this is the last chapter!! Aww…TPP has been one of my personal favorites amongst all my works, and I have had so much fun writing it, like no other…but all good things must come to an end, right? So with that, I would like to thank each and everyone of you who reviewed, read, alerted, and/or favorited. Now for some people that I need to thank personally.

First of all, the one person without who's support and inspiration TPP would have never been possible. I can't thank you enough, and no matter how much I praise you, there will always be so much more to say. Thank you to OurLoveIsForever, for being a great mentor and guide when it came to this story, and helping from the very beginning and inspiring me to the very end. Thank you so much.

Next to my loyal reviewers, who reviewed regularly, I appreciate it so much, so thank you all so much. I never expected such a response!! This is my most reviewed and alerted story, and the second most favorited! I think it's so amazing that all of you appreciate it so much. I can't express my gratitude enough. Thank you so much, thank you everyone!

And last but most certainly not the least, dbgothicprincess and Kagome Nightmare. You two are so amazing, and thank you so much for encouraging me every single step of the way. I know there were times I was down, and I vented out all off my frustration on you, so thank you for letting me do that. You both truly are gems.

Oh, and one more thing, I may do an epilogue for this…do you guys want an epilogue?


	29. Epilogue

A/N: All right, so I had an amazing epilogue written for this, one I was quite satisfied with to tell you the truth, BUT then, just my luck, I LOST MY FLASH DRIVE!!! And for those of you, that are also following History Repeats Itself, my second and third chapters were also on there. I know it's a lame excuse but it really did happen…and I'm sorry, so I will try to replicate that, but I highly doubt it will be as nice as what I had written earlier…here we go. The promised epilogue…

* * *

Lily couldn't help the grin on her face as Sebastian knelt down...she knew it was coming. Sebastian had told Scorpius earlier that he intended on proposing soon…and here it was her proposal, her dream proposal at that. Sebastian was down on one knee, and…tying his shoe? What the hell? And why didn't he just use his wand?

"Umm, Sebastian, love. Are you sure there's nothing you have to say to me? Err, ask me?"

Sebastian scratched his head. He pretended to think for a minute.

"No. I don't think so. Oh wait, I do-did you enjoy the trout at dinner?"

"Yes, Sebastian. I enjoyed the trout very much." Lily replied, struggling to keep her cool. It had been five years since that day at the station. The day he stopped her from leaving, asking for a chance, and since then, they had been together. Sebastian grinned as he saw Lily's inner struggle play out on her face. He knew she knew, because Scorpius told Rose everything, and of course, Rose told Lily. He had expected that, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun with her. He still remembered the day he told her he loved her.

_Sebastian couldn't help look at Lily as she had fallen asleep in his arms. Her serene beauty, her simplicity, her…just being perfect. And it was time Sebastian admitted how he felt about her. He nudged her cheek with his nose. Her eyes fluttered, causing his heart to do so as well. She smiled that smile of hers, the one that was only reserved for him._

"_You're beautiful, you know?" He said._

_Lily just blushed and turned away, shaking her head._

_He leaned closer to her, and Lily didn't know where she ended and he began, whispering,_

"_And I love you for that."_

_Lily reached up and closed the distance between them._

Lily glared at her so-called boyfriend. He had been in a daze, and Lily desperately wanted to know what he was thinking about. She just stuck her nose in the air, and walked ahead. One would think it was such a lovely evening, a walk in the park, followed by a lovely dinner at a muggle Italian restaurant, and now they were walking their way back to the flat. Sebastian had insisted they walk, and when Lily went to take a right, Sebastian grabbed her arm.

"I have to show you something. Come here." Lily couldn't contain the smile on her face, and literally jumped in the direction Sebastian was leading them. She gasped at the sight. It was an amusement park, all lit up, and empty, clearly reserved for them. Lily turned to throw her arms around her boyfriend, who was hanging off the ferris wheel…

"Sebastian!! What are you doing up there?"

"I'm just hanging out…"

"Seb." Lily said in a warning tone.

"So, Lils. Tell me, do I look as hot from up here, or do I look hotter?"

"CAPRICORNUS SEBASTIAN MALFOY!! I'm leaving this instant if you don't get down from there!! What is bloody wrong with you? You're acting like a lunatic!"

"That's because I'm in love with one." Sebastian replied cheekily. He still enjoyed irking her after all these years, because she was still most beautiful when mad.

"You know what? You can stay here, and I'm leaving."

As Lily turned, huffing, she heard something in the sky. It was fireworks, and there was something was being written with each blast.

_All my life, I waited for the one who would hold the key to my heart and unlock the sea of emotion within. All my life, all I've ever wanted to hold that one girl's hand who I know would never let go. All my life, I had her right under my nose. All my life, I've waited for you, Lily Luna Potter. And I can't wait anymore. So will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife? Not because you need me, but because I don't know how to live without you. Not because you love me, but because I don't know how to love anyone else. Well, and no one else would put up with me the way you do._

"I love you, Lily. I always have, since the time I was nine. I guess, I just never realized it. So, what do you say?" Sebastian said, down on one knee.

Lily smiled through her tears. She nodded and held out her hand so he could put the ring on her finger. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. He buried his face in her neck,

"Merlin, I love you so much, Lily. So much."

"I love you too, Sebastian. More than anything or anyone in the world."

"I think we ought to go back to our flat and celebrate, yes?"

"What are you waiting for?" Lily said.

* * *

"I swear, if you touch me again, I will fucking pluck your eyes out and feed them to the bloody birds!"

"ME!! What the hell? You're the one who always wears those bloody lacy, tiny, clothes, trying to seduce me!! And you're always begging for more, Lily. Don't deny it."

"SEBASTIAN!!! Just get the hell away from me!!! I'm in this pain because of YOU!!!" Lily said, clutching his shirt.

"Well, you have to let go of me for that!!" Sebastian said, rolling his eyes.

"Seb, it's not the best time to mess with her. Although, she's not as bad as Rose, I must say." Scorpius declared. "Ow! Rose, love, I was just kidding! You make an excellent pregnant woman."

"Oh, Merlin. I think he's coming! Sebastian, sweetheart, I didn't mean any of that. I need you, please hold my hand."

"Oh, Lilylove, I got you, don't worry. You'll be all right, the baby will be all right, and I hope I'll be all right."

"Ahh!!!"

"That's right, Lily. Just keep pushing, Lily. You're doing very well. Just keep on going. Good job. Yes, that's like a good girl."

Lily collapsed as she heard the cry of a baby. Sebastian couldn't believe his eyes. It was his child. His own flesh and blood, and representation of his love for Lily and her love for him. He had never seen anything so beautiful.

"I want to hold him." Lily said, reaching her arms out, and Sebastian handed her their son. "He's beautiful. He looks just like you."

"But he has your brown eyes." Sebastian said, kissing Lily on the forehead. His wife and child in his arms, there couldn't have been a more perfect moment.

* * *

A/N: All right, so I know, the epilogue, yeah more like epic fail. I liked the first I wrote much better, because it was more spontaneous as far as dialogue goes, and much more detailed. Also I had been in an amazingly romantic mood at the time, so the proposal was much better written, and the birth of their child scene was also better. I don't like this, but it's all I can come up with, and I do think I have made you guys wait enough. Thank you for all your support, and this epilogue is dedicated to each and every one of you. Thank you so much! For those of you that are following History Repeats Itself, it will be updated hopefully this week!! Thank you, and please don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile! It deals with what story you guys want to read next as far as the other NextGen characters go. So please let me know! And if you're into Twilight, please check out my fic, History Repeats Itself! Thank you so much, I love you guys, so, so, so much! THANK YOU!!! And that's a wrap, folks!


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